5 bedroom house

Have you been searching for a large private family home with a detached self-contained annexe, both extremely well presented and finished to the highest of standards, plenty of space for the children, indoor and outdoor entertaining space, within easy reach of various excellent schools, and located in the heart of a thriving village? Marsden Mount and The Barn may just be the answer.

A large and extremely versatile family home and annexe (spanning over 3,990 sq ft) located on the exclusive private estate of Maresfield Park, in the heart of the popular and desirable village of Maresfield. Marsden Mount has been lovingly owned by my clients for the last 32 years, and has provided much flexibility and versatility over those years as the family have grown and expanded into it. The Barn was added in recent years providing a double garage and annexe, and again provides an enormous amount of versatility and flexibility in its use.
The house itself was built in 1955 and has five double bedrooms, four bath and shower rooms (2 en suite), sitting room, dining room, family room/snug, study, sun room, fully fitted kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, private off road parking for several vehicles, summer house, and a private garden totalling 0.45 acres.

The Barn was built by my clients in 2016 so is therefore modern and purpose built as a garage/annexe/multiple other uses. It is completely detached from the main house, and has a double garage on the ground floor and a private entrance leading to a first floor self-contained annexe with modern open plan fully fitted kitchen/living/dining area space and double bedroom and en suite shower room.

The village of Maresfield is in a designated conservation area and nestles midway between the chalk hills of the North and South Downs and only a mile and a half of the stunning 6,500 acre Ashdown Forest offering exceptional walking and riding. The village is thriving with a huge choice of different clubs and societies suitable for an array of different age groups. The village also boasts a recreation ground with football and cricket pitches, tennis courts and indoor and outdoor bowls.

The House – Marsden Mount

You enter the house through the original solid wooden door with black iron handle and door knocker into the main hallway. This space has the staircase straight ahead and excellent condition original parquet flooring and wood panelled walls. There is a downstairs cloakroom from the hallway with a window to the front, W/C and wash hand basin. To the left of the hallway is the main large living room (20ft x 15ft) which has the parquet flooring continue from the hallway into this room. There is a window to the side, and double French doors leading to the sun room. There is also a large open working fireplace with a brick and marble hearth. From this room is the large sun room which measures 15ft x 10ft. The room has a solid tiled roof, power and two radiators which means this room can be used all year round. It has double doors leading directly onto the garden and sixteen windows which allow a huge amount of natural light into the room but also affords lovely views out onto the private rear garden. The room is therefore extremely versatile in its use, which as well as a sun room, could also be used as perhaps a playroom or a family room.

The other room which leads from the living room is the dining room/snug/family room. This is a lovely light room being double aspect facing the front and the rear. There is a gas fire with wood surround, and wood laminate flooring in this room. The room has served many uses for my clients over the years including a snug, a family room, a play room and now serves as a dining room.

Back into the hallway is the snug/dining room/family room which again has the parquet flooring running through from the hallway. This room is again extremely versatile in its use with two windows facing the front, and bi-fold patio doors which concertina the entire length of the opening leading directly onto the decking and the Japanese side garden. This floods the room with natural daylight and makes it a wonderful room to spend time in. The office/study leads from this room with a window overlooking the picturesque Japanese garden making this an inspired place to work from. It could also be a playroom if desired.

The house has fibre internet connectivity which makes modern working from this home entirely possible.

Back onto the hallway is the stunning kitchen/breakfast room. The kitchen is double aspect with a window overlooking the Japanese side garden, and a window to the rear. There is plenty of space in the room for a good sized breakfast table and chairs. The room’s main focal point is a central island with granite worktop and storage underneath. My clients have installed underfloor hearing around the central island making it a cosy area to stand around cooking and chatting. The rest of the room comprises of; tiled wood flooring effect throughout, granite work surfaces, range cooker, integrated dishwasher, American fridge freezer, ceramic two bowl butler sink, wall and base units and drawers, and large storage cupboards along one wall.

The utility room leads from the kitchen with the same tiled flooring and granite work surfaces continued, a window and a useful stable door leading out onto the side garden. There is plumbing and space for a washing machine and space for a dryer, as well as storage units and the boiler for the house. This completes the ground floor space.

Back out into the hallway, and the stairs rise up to the first floor. On this floor can be found five bedrooms, two en suite shower rooms, one further shower room and the family bathroom. All of the bedrooms have ceiling fans.

The master bedroom is a large room measuring 15’5 x 13’5. It is a light room with double aspect orientation facing both the front and rear of the house. The room benefits from a ceiling fan and a useful dressing area with three built in wardrobes and loft hatch above. From the dressing area is a large modern en-suite shower room which has recently been refurbished to a high standard. It features; frosted window to the side, smart black floor tiles, curved floating wash hand basin, W/C, large double walk in shower with rain showerhead and recessed LED spotlights.

Bedroom 3 is a double bedroom located next to the master bedroom which faces onto the private rear garden. This room has a built in cupboard, fitted double wardrobes with shelves and a hanging rail. Bedroom 4 is again a double bedroom and located adjacent to Bedroom 3. It too overlooks the private rear garden and is a light room affording a double aspect orientation.

The landing continues the panelled walls found in the downstairs hallway, which remind you throughout of the original build decade of the 1950’s.

There is a middle landing which is larger and has a window overlooking the front of the house which allows a large amount of natural daylight to flood onto the landing and down into the staircase. From this middle landing is a door to access a modern recently re-furbished separate shower room with window to the front, smart tiled flooring, wash hand basin with vanity cupboards under, W/C, recessed LED spotlights, heated towel rail and separate shower cubicle with rain showerhead. This results in the use of a shower and toilet which are separate to a bedroom on the first floor in addition to the main family bathroom. This means that sufficient washing and toilet facilities are available for a large and growing family.

Bedroom 2 is another double bedroom with a built in wardrobe, and is an extremely light double aspect room facing the front and the side of the house. It has a modern en-suite shower room which has recently been refurbished to a high standard and is identical to the separate shower room (apart from a window) with tiled flooring, wash hand basin with vanity cupboards under, W/C, recessed LED spotlights, heated towel rail and separate shower cubicle with rain showerhead.

Bedroom 5 is the smallest bedroom in the house, however is not only a double bedroom, but is also double aspect which packs a big punch with the amount of natural daylight which floods into this room. It has a built in wardrobe with a hanging rail.

The last room on this floor is the family bathroom. This again, as with all of the other bath and shower rooms in the house, has been recently updated by my clients to a very high standard. The bathroom has a frosted window and consists of; modern white floor tiles, impressive standalone oval bath, heated towel rail, wash hand basin with vanity cupboards under, useful double cupboard (which also houses the hot water tank), and recessed spotlights.

Annexe – The Barn

This fantastic building was built in 2016 and is known as ‘The Barn’. The ground floor consists of a large double garage measuring 29’4 x 18’9 with two electric remote controlled roller doors. There is power and light in the garage, a door to the side and the boiler for the annexe above. On the ground floor is also the front door to the annexe ground floor hallway. This entrance hallway has a window to the front, staircase rising to the first floor, and storage ability under the stairs if desired. There is also an automatic lift which has space for a wheelchair. The lift raises up to the first floor, and then back down again by a switch panel, and cleverly raises a section of the flooring above to allow access to the first floor.

On the first floor is the entirety of the one bedroom annexe. At the top of the stairs, there is a door which opens into the main kitchen/living/dining room. The room has two velux windows facing the front over the kitchen side and a window and Juliette balcony which overlook the rear garden making this a really light space. There is engineered wood flooring in the kitchen area and carpet in the living/dining space. The kitchen comprises of; stainless steel sink and drainer, electric 4 ring integrated hob, electric integrated oven, integrated washer/dryer, base cupboards and drawers and space for a freestanding fridge. A door from this room leads into the bedroom which has a window overlooking the garden, double wardrobe with hanging rail and shelves. The en-suite has a velux window facing the front, large walk in shower cubicle with rain showerhead, W/C, wash hand basin and tiled flooring. This room also benefits from under floor heating.

The building is incredibly versatile, self-contained and extremely private. As well as primarily providing the perfect annexe, this space would also provide a perfect home office, studio, or games room.

The Gardens

To the front is a gravelled driveway with wrought iron gates at the entrance to the driveway. The gates are fully automated with a phone and keypad entry system linked to the house. The smart gravel driveway runs in a straight symmetrical line towards the house, which provides a distinct feeling of grandeur and exclusivity. It also results in the house being positioned far from the private road. This unique location, twinned with the black stained fencing on both sides and the high hedging above the height of the fencing, results in a genuine feeling of privacy and seclusion from the road and from the surrounding neighbours.

As the gravel driveway nears the house, it widens significantly providing excellent private parking provision for numerous vehicles. There is a store room which measures 15’2 x 6’11 and can be accessed from the driveway. The room has power and light and is useful for garden equipment and general storage.

There is a side gate from the driveway with steps leading up to the flat large lawned garden which offers a plethora of mature trees and shrubs dotted around. There are a whole host of laurel hedges which run pretty much the entire back boundary of the rear and side gardens. This provides an incredible amount of visual privacy from the neighbouring houses, with only the top part of the rooftops and zero windows visible from both ground and first floor level.

The rear garden not only has a lush lawn but is also very flat. This makes it the perfect family garden for the trampoline and football goal etc, but also for an entertaining space in the warmer months. There is a brick pathway which is at ground level and runs along the entire back of the house, around the sun room, and back round the side garden to the front of the house. There is also a summerhouse in the corner of the garden providing a pleasant place to sit and relax.

The side garden is named the ‘Japanese Garden’ by my clients and is a wholly different garden experience than the flat lawned rear garden. Here my clients have created attractive brick pathways, a rockery garden with water feature, circular brick centrepieces with stunning magnolia trees, Japanese maple trees, and an abundance of other colourful shrubs and trees interspersed with low maintenance Astro turf lawn. There is also a raised decking which overlooks this fantastic garden and is large enough to accommodate even the largest of outside garden furniture.

The entire plot is completely dog proofed as my clients have two dogs. It is also exceptionally child friendly as not only is the garden gated either side, but the main gates at the end of the driveway prevent any young children from venturing out onto the road. This is one of the many reasons why it has been such a wonderful home for my clients to raise their children in.

Schools

Bonners C of E primary school, which is Ofsted rated Good, is only an 8 minute walk from the house.

Other schools nearby are the Buxted C of E primary school in the nearby village of Buxted, which is Ofsted rated good, is 1.8 miles away and a 5 minute drive from the house.

Rocks primary school in the nearby town of Uckfield, which is Ofsted rated good, is 2 miles away and is a 7 minute drive.

Uckfield College is the nearest secondary school and sixth form college, which is Ofsted rated good. It is located in Uckfield and 2.1 miles away and a 6 minute drive.

Road and Rail Links

Mainline railway stations can be found at nearby Uckfield and Buxted offering services to London in just over 1 hour (London Bridge/Victoria 67 mins).

Rail services also run from Crowborough (8 miles away) and Haywards Heath (11 miles away) offering services to London Bridge/Victoria with journey times to London 69 mins and 47 mins respectively.

At the end of the road from the house is the A272 which leads East towards Eastbourne which is a 35 minute drive away, and to the West which extends all the way as far as Winchester en route to Cowfold, Horsham, Billingshurst, Midhurst and Petersfield.
The A22 provides swift vehicular access to the M25 and the national motorway network, central London and Gatwick airport. The junction for the A22 is literally a 3 minute drive from Marsden Mount.

Shops and Amenities

The village of Maresfield has its own village shop which is open seven days a week and is well stocked with food and drink essentials including beer and wine. The shop is again literally at the end of the road and a few minutes walk. There is also a village post office service.

The Chequers pub is again literally at the end of the road which is a family friendly pub renowned for its excellent food and friendly service. They also have 17 guest bedrooms attached to the pub as well. This is certainly a wonderful local pub just literally a stones through away.

The local village of Newick only a 7 minute drive away and offers 3 individual pubs and a well-regarded Indian Restaurant, independent butchers and bakers and two local convenience shops.

For more comprehensive shops and restaurants, then the town of Uckfield is only an 8 minute drive from the house. The town has two major supermarkets being Tesco and Waitrose, numerous high street branded and independent shops and restaurants, fast food restaurants offering take out or delivery. It also has the fantastic picture house cinema, and the Uckfield leisure centre with its many recreational activities and main leisure pool with exercise lanes and flumes for the family.

More extensive shopping and leisure facilities can be found in Royal Tunbridge Wells (14 miles away) and Crawley (18 miles away) offering a shopping mall, numerous bars/restaurants, multiplex cinema and many other leisure facilities. Nearby Lewes (11 miles) and Brighton and Hove (20 miles) offer theatres, cinemas, shopping and restaurants, and there is the world renowned Opera House at Glyndebourne (11 miles).

Recreation

The immediate surrounding area offers a range of leisure activities at youth and adult levels, including football, rugby, cricket, dance and local theatre. There are golf courses at Haywards Heath, Lindfield, Ditchling, Piltdown, Royal Ashdown, East Sussex National and many other courses across the county. There is horse racing at Plumpton, Goodwood and Lingfield, and sailing at Weir Wood and Ardingly reservoir and the coast. The surrounding area is exceptionally beautiful with the South Downs and Ashdown Forest national parks and numerous historic and picturesque villages close by. There are many footpaths and bridle paths across the South Downs and surrounding countryside providing plenty of countryside walks, as well as riding on Ashdown Forest by permit.

The National Trust Gardens of Sheffield Park, Wakehurst Place and Nymans are both a short distance from the village. The Bluebell Railway (6 miles away) runs steam locomotive journeys on its 11 mile line between Sheffield Park and East Grinstead and is a popular local attraction.

Nearby spa and country house hotels include Buxted Park Hotel, Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, Ockenden Manor, Alexander House, Gravetye Manor and South Lodge.

Walks

There are many walks and public footpaths which radiate out from the village, and is therefore absolutely perfect for families and dog owners alike. Ashdown forest is only a mile and a half away with endless incredible walks in every direction. This really is a semi-rural location.

Come and have a look around Marsden Mount and The Barn, and you will see what a fantastic family home it is as well as providing incredible flexibility with its annexe. Modern life is always changing - this home can change with you, and give you the perfect balance between a thriving village and all its conveniences, and countryside living all on your doorstep.


























Marketed by: The Agency UK, Covering Nationwide