5 bedroom house

A charming country oast house set in land of about 3.4 acres and enjoying a wonderful outlook to the rear.


Description

This individual character property is full of surprises, believed to have originally comprised a cottage, an oast, a dairy and a cart shed, all converted in the 1950s.

The property now offers a wonderful opportunity for updating and will be of interest to a family looking for a long-term stay, as has been true for our selling client, who arrived in 1976.

There is much imaginative use of reclaimed materials, including oak floor boards to the key reception rooms, wall panelling in the sitting room and book shelving in the library.

Also of note is the stain glass window in the sitting room and the dramatic, curved secondary staircase, rising up around the wall, inside the roundel.

The roundel room has a secondary kitchen and an outside door, allowing guests to occupy part of the house as self-contained accommodation, although no formal planning is implied.

The property is set within delightful grounds with an established garden planted with an array of herbaceous planting, shrubs and trees creating year-round colour and interest, an apple orchard with old English varieties, a paddock, water garden and area of woodland to the rear.

The immediate surroundings of this lovely home are ‘hamlet like’; a peaceful country lane with individual neighbouring houses (one being partly attached to Whitewood Oast) and views to the rear which really add to the overall impression of a quintessential rural idyll.

Location

Swife Lane is a peaceful backwater off the Burwash Road (A265) from Broad Oak and the property is set nicely into a ‘country-like’ location in An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Broad Oak, Burwash and Mayfield are reached within about 1.2 miles, 4.5 miles and 6.5 miles respectively, offering local shopping and village life, whilst the main towns of Tunbridge Wells, Lewes and Eastbourne are reached within about 15.5 miles, 19 miles and 20 miles, giving excellent shopping and entertainment amenities.

Locally, the market town of Heathfield is within about 3 miles with several supermarkets iincluding a Waitrose

Stonegate station is about 3.8 miles via the lanes, or 4.1 miles via the Burwash Road, providing a mainline service to London (South Eastern to London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Cannon Street).

State and private schools: The area is well served by a wide variety of schools, with a primary in Burwash and secondaries at Heathfield and Wadhurst Community Colleges. There are independent preparatory schools at Skippers Hill, Vine Hall, Battle Abbey and Hawkhurst and senior schools including Mayfield for girls, Tonbridge for boys and co-ed options at Sevenoaks,Eastbourne, Upper Dicker (Bedes) and Brighton.

Square Footage: 2,505 sq ft




Acreage: 3.4 Acres

Directions

TN21 8UR: From Tunbridge Wells head south on the A267 (Frant Road) for about 9 miles passing through Frant, Mark Cross and Argos Hill. At the roundabout, take the first exit towards Mayfield, and then the right-hand turning sign-posted Knowle Hill and continue straight ahead into Newick Lane. Follow Newick Lane to the end, then turn left onto the A265 to Broad Oak. Continue on this road for about 1.8 miles, passing the row of shops and the school, then turn left into Swife Lane. Keep on Swife Lane for about 0.9 miles, passing Foxhole Lane on the right and Whitewood Oast will be found after a short distance on the right.


Additional Info

Services: Oil-fired central heating, mains water, electricity and private drainage.

Outgoings: Wealden District Council, Tax Band G

Marketed by: Savills, Tunbridge Wells