5 bedroom house

Attractive period cottage with woodland, situated on the rural outskirts of a picturesque village.

Location

Brook Cottage is situated on the northern side of the rural village of Ripe, near the South Downs National Park. Ripe has a well-stocked village store/Post Office; there are supermarkets and further amenities in Hailsham (six miles) and Polegate (eight miles).   

The property is just over eight miles away from the historic county town of Lewes with its range of shopping facilities, leisure centre and variety of pubs and restaurants. The coastal City of Brighton & Hove is 15 miles to the west and Eastbourne 12 miles to the south east.

The internationally renowned opera house Glyndebourne is six miles away; there is racing at Plumpton and Goodwood; golf at Lewes, Seaford and the East Sussex National; sailing at Brighton; and many bridle and footpaths close by.

Rail services: Berwick railway station is 3.5 miles distant and has services to London Victoria. Lewes mainline station provides connections across the south east and to London Bridge/London Victoria (journey time from 64 minutes).

Schools: There is an excellent range of schools in the area, including Alfriston and Firle Primary Schools, Bede's Prep and Senior School, Lewes Grammar, and Eastbourne and Brighton Colleges.

All times and distances are approximate.

Description

Brook Cottage is understood to date from the 18th Century and was originally two labourers' cottages, attractively characterised in the Sussex vernacular with part rendered/part tile hung elevations under a tiled roof. The house is beautifully situated on the rural edge of the picturesque village of Ripe, bordering the eponymous brook to the south west boundary and surrounded by mature woodland.

Well-presented throughout, the house has been considerately refurbished and improved by the current owners, resulting in a comfortable family home. Points of note include replacement aluminium framed windows and a beautiful solid oak kitchen; a wealth of timber panelling, quarry tiled and stripped wood floors, lots of fitted bookshelving and an abundance of natural light create a real warmth with a stylish Scandinavian ambience.

Brook Cottage is arranged over three floors and extends to over 2,500 square feet, the full layout of which can be seen on the floor plan. There are two formal reception spaces: a welcoming dining hall with clay tiled floor and brick open fireplace, and a triple aspect sitting room which features an open fireplace with slate hearth and has bi-fold doors opening to the garden. The kitchen is fitted with bespoke oak cabinetry and worktops and is arranged as two interconnecting rooms, one opening to the garden, with a Stoves range oven and with space for a small breakfast table, and the other fitted as a pantry-style room, with double butler sink and good range of shelving and cupboards. A useful boot room with space and plumbing for laundry appliances and a larder-style fridge freezer, a study and a cloakroom complete the ground floor.

There are five bedrooms arranged over the upper two floors, one fitted with bookshelving and currently used as an office. The main bedroom has fitted cupboards and an en suite bathroom; the rest of the bedrooms are served by an en suite bathroom to bedroom two and a family bathroom.

Timber cabin
The timber cabin is situated away from the house to the north, surrounded by woodland. The cabin has power connected and is fitted with a log burner, making it an ideal home working space, garden room or cosy den.

Outside
Brook Cottage is approached from Ripe Lane via double five bar gates, which open to a parking area between the house and the detached, timber double garage. Two further storage sheds lie beyond the garaging.

The garden stretches away from the house to the rear, informally divided into areas by hedging and post and rail fencing, dotted with some handsome mature trees. A paved suntrap terrace lies to the rear of the house with steps rising to the lawn and swimming pool beyond; to the south east of the house is a sunny kitchen garden with raised beds.   The woodland, which has gated secondary access to the south of the house, surrounds the formal garden and is a mixture of ancient oaks and younger native deciduous trees. A gate opens from the woodland to the neighbouring land to the north, allowing direct access to a network of footpaths crossing the surrounding countryside.

A further strip of land lies opposite the house, running parallel with the lane.

In all, about 3.5 acres

Square Footage: 2509 sq ft

Acreage: 3.5 Acres

Marketed by: Savills, Haywards Heath