8 bedroom house

Beech Court is an historic Grade II Listed country house with distinctive Dering windows. It is centred on the dining hall, which may date to as early as 1460, although the bulk of the house was perhaps built in the 17th and 19th Centuries with some later additions.

The house is approached over a long drive which leads from the village green (The Lees) through parkland into the formal woodland garden. The drive divides, with the right hand fork leading to a parking area adjacent to the farm buildings and outbuildings and the main drive continuing straight ahead through a pair of wrought iron gates, passing the Oast (which is considered suitable for a variety of purposes subject to any necessary consents – including adaptation as an annexe) and culminating in a parking area adjacent to the house.

On approaching the house, the delightful gardens are evident and are a riot of colour in springtime with rhododendrons, azaleas and a great variety of other flowering shrubs and plants, interspersed with a great variety of specimen trees.

The principal entrance to the house is through a partly glazed door leading to the sitting room, which has a stone fireplace. To the left is the heavily timbered dining hall which has high ceilings, a large inglenook fireplace and a mural on the plaster wall by Sally Penfold, who worked closely with John Ward. The kitchen/breakfast room with an Aga is adjacent, as is a back door opening to a boot room. Beyond the sitting room is the drawing room, an elegant room with an open fire and windows enjoying distant views to the south. Beyond is the garden room and the study, together with a back staircase, cloakroom and a further door leading outside..

The first floor is arranged with three family bedrooms accessed directly from the principal landing; these share the family bathroom. The master bedroom enjoys an en suite bathroom and has access to both the main landing and a rear landing, where two further bedrooms are to be found.

Attached to the main house is a generous annexe which is arranged as a triple aspect sitting room and kitchen with two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

Beech Court is well placed for commuters. Ashford International offers the High Speed train service
to London St Pancras (from 36 minutes) as well as the Eurostar to the Continent. The M20 (Junction 8) is accessible via the A20 and the A252/A28 to Canterbury.

The property is situated on the very edge of the picturesque village of Challock, which centres on the pretty Lees. The well-served village benefits from a post office, shop, pubs and a church as well as further local services in the popular nearby villages of Charing, Chilham and Wye (all 4 miles distant). Ashford and Canterbury offer a broad range of shopping, education and leisure facilities.

This fine property can be purchased with more or less land to suit the buyer. You may wish to only buy the house and gardens, without the park land, or perhaps with one or two paddocks. This allows a buyer to acquire 11.1 acres, or as many as 38.2 acres.

The gardens themselves are adaptable in nature, and could be expanded or reduced depending on a buyer’s desire; they are well arranged with lawns, ponds and areas of woodland. Towards the centre is the pond, which was perhaps dug as a drinking trough for horses, and the gardens were originally designed with spring colour in mind. There is an exceptional collection of acers and rhododendron along with firs, oaks and pines. There are also a great variety of rare and unusual trees and the gardens have been enhanced with island beds, climbing roses, hydrangea, and the autumn colours on the specimen trees make this a garden for all seasons. The gardens have been designed for ease of maintenance.

The Oast House found at the heart of the property is considered suitable for a variety of purposes, subject to any necessary consents. It seems to have great potential as a home office or second house on the site. There is also a courtyard of buildings beside Beech Court comprising stables and potting sheds, adjacent to which is a larger multi-purpose building, again suitable for a variety of purposes. Set discreetly in the corner of the gardens is the hard-surfaced tennis court.

The gardens and surrounding pasture extend to about 38.2 acres. Adjacent to them is the Star Walk (about 6.64 acres), an ancient avenue leading from Challock towards Eastwell Park (coloured yellow on the plan) where, although the freehold is not for sale, the purchaser will enjoy certain rights (including grazing rights) to the land in conjunction with the remainder of the holding.

Marketed by: Strutt & Parker, Canterbury