Gould Farm

ROOMS Dining hall, Drawing room, Sitting room, Study, Open plan kitchen and vaulted breakfast room, Home office/studio, 2 Cloakrooms, Landing, Six bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms (2 en suite).
Garaging and further outbuildings including a home office, workshop, stabling and studio.
Mature garden and fields of about 2.7 acres in total
 

LOCATION Set off an idyllic country lane in a small hamlet formerly known as The Brook, Gould Farm is situated in the Cranbrook School catchment area on the edge of the village of Frittenden, which offers a range of local services including village stores, primary school and the parish church of St Mary's, along with cricket, tennis and sports clubs. The Wealden towns of Cranbrook (5 miles) and Tenterden (9 miles) offer more extensive shopping facilities, amenities and restaurants. In addition to Cranbrook School, there are other excellent schools in the area, including Bethany, Benenden School, Marlborough House, Sutton Valence, St Ronan's and Dulwich Prep School together with a number of well regarded state schools at all age levels. Nearby Staplehurst Station (2.4 miles) provides frequent services to London Bridge, Cannon Street and Charing Cross with journey times from under an hour - Rail services are also available from Headcorn (3.8 miles) and Ashford International (16 miles) which provides a high speed service to St Pancras in about 37 minutes. The A21 (12 miles) gives access to the M25 for Gatwick and Heathrow airports and the national motorway network. The M20 (10 miles) gives access to Dover, Folkestone and Ashford. 

DESCRIPTION A magnificent example of a medieval Wealden Hall House with later 16th and 18th century additions, this sympathetically restored Grade II Listed farmhouse is timber framed with exposed close-studding and plaster infill to the facade, tile hung return elevations, a jettied cross-wing and a Crown post roof. The beautifully presented accommodation, which benefits from excellent ceiling heights of about 8'6 in the principal reception rooms, is arranged over three levels, as shown on the floor plan. Particular features include honeyed oak exposed timber framing, casement and original mullion windows, wide antique oak floorboards, vaulted ceilings, brick flooring and exposed vertical oak medieval screen. 

GROUND FLOOR The property is approached via a panelled front door opening into a dining hall with a tall multi paned window to the front, a massive inglenook fireplace and a medieval wall screen with vertical oak panelling. The dual aspect drawing room has a tall window overlooking the front garden, mullion windows to the side and a fine inglenook fireplace. To the rear is a double aspect sitting room with wide oak floorboards and a glazed door to the garden. Further versatile reception accommodation includes a study with a cast iron fireplace with Art Nouveau style tiling and a home office/studio.

The partially vaulted farmhouse-style kitchen and breakfast room with old brick flooring is fitted with a range of bespoke cabinets comprising cupboards and drawers beneath oak work surfaces with space for a dishwasher, a Neff oven and hob, a fridge and an oil four oven Aga set into a fireplace surround.
Adjoining is a laundry room fitted to match the kitchen with a gamekeeper's sink, space for various white goods, panelled doors opening to a cupboard housing the oil fired boiler and Megaflo pressurized water system and a door to the garden. The ground floor is served by two cloakrooms with Catchpole & Rye fitments, one of which has geometric pattern tiling to the floor.
 

FIRST FLOOR On the first floor, the main bedroom has a fine fireplace, massive collar beam, a walk-in dressing room, together with an en suite bathroom. There are two further double bedrooms which are served by a very well-appointed bath/shower room. 

SECOND FLOOR An original oak staircase leads up to the second-floor guest bedroom suite which features a Crown post and exposed medieval pargetting. Adjacent is a stylish bathroom area complete with Slipper bath. Steps then continue up to two interconnecting attic bedrooms, one with separate staircase returning down to the first-floor landing. 

OUTSIDE Gould Farm is approached via a circular carriage driveway with a central lawn which leads to the front of the house and provides parking for several vehicles. From here there is access to a detached single garage, adjacent to which is a substantial outbuilding with two versatile rooms currently arranged as a home office and kitchenette providing ancillary accommodation.

The mature, secluded gardens surround the house and are laid down to level expanses of lawn with an avenue of established yew trees, many varieties of old English roses, terraced areas, raised herb and vegetable beds and a stream to the north boundary. Immediately to the rear of the house is the former brick bakehouse which has been converted into a studio/home office. Beyond the gardens is a substantial timber building set in a field comprising two stables and a tractor store with hard standing area and power and light connected. The building offers potential for ancillary accommodation, subject to planning and benefits from an independent vehicular access from Mill Lane. In all the garden and grounds amounts to about 2.7 acres.
Agent's Note: There is a right of way for neighbouring properties, together with a footpath, over the side access lane beyond the garden boundary leading to the workshop and stable building in the field.


Marketed by: Phillips & Stubbs, Rye