House For Sale £885,000
Winchelsea, East Sussex TN36 4EA

ROOMS Living room, Dining room, 25' Kitchen/breakfast room, Study area, Cloakroom, Landing, Three double bedrooms, Bath/shower room, Shower room, Attic room. C13th undercroft. South facing garden   

LOCATION Lookout Cottage is located in the Conservation Area of the Ancient Town adjacent to the old town wall and in close proximity to the impressive C14th Strand Gate with its wide gateway between massive round towers. Winchelsea is one of the few examples of a bastide town in England based on the grid-iron street plan with wide, regular streets arranged around a giant square and the incomplete cathedral type church of St. Thomas the Martyr. Local facilities include the Little Shop convenience store, together with a primary school and public house. For more comprehensive facilities there is the Cinque Port of Rye (3 miles) with train services to Eastbourne and to Ashford International, from where there are high speed connections to St. Pancras, London in 37 minutes.

 

DESCRIPTION A Grade II listed early C18th period cottage presenting external elevations of part ragstone and tile hanging, set with timber casement windows, beneath a pitched peg tiled roof. Internal features include exposed timber framing, a fine inglenook fireplace and natural wood floors. The property was extended in 2013 with a contemporary two-storey design that references the original building and then contrasts the style in a very modern interpretation that highlights the separation between old and new. Beneath the cottage is one of the original Winchelsea undercrofts.

Historical Note: The Lookout was the ordained position for the look-out man during the time of the French Wars. The resident of the cottage had this responsibility and the last paid incumbent was duly imbursed with the annual sum of £1.12.6d, ending in 1943. The author, Conrad Aiken, lived in the property from 1922-24.

The stylish, well presented living accommodation is arranged over three floors, as shown on the floor plan, and is approached from the front garden through either the living room or the kitchen.

 

GROUND FLOOR The living room, which overlooks the Strand Gate to the front, has white washed ceiling beams, wood block flooring, a fine inglenook fireplace with a fitted wood burning stove together with a glazed French doors to the rear garden. Adjoining is a dining room with white washed ceiling timbers, natural wood flooring and a range of fitted storage cupboards to one wall.

From the dining room, two wide openings lead to the triple aspect kitchen/breakfast room, which is fitted with a range of bespoke painted base cabinets comprising cupboards and drawers beneath work surfaces with a butler sink, built in wine cooler, integrated dish washer and fridge freezer, a range cooker with an extractor fan and bi-fold doors to the rear garden.

At the rear of the house is a study area looking on to the garden and beyond, a cloakroom with a close coupled WC and wall mounted wash basin. 

FIRST FLOOR On the first floor, bedroom 1 is triple aspect and enjoys views over the Strand Gate, across National Trust land to the rear and over Pett Level to the sea. The room has exposed wood flooring and whitewashed beams.

There are two further double bedrooms on this level, one of which has a large picture window to the rear with sea views and the other, a vaulted ceiling. In addition, there is a bath/shower room and a further separate shower room.  

SECOND FLOOR On the second floor, is a below eaves attic room with and a dormer window to the rear with views to the sea. 

OUTSIDE Beneath the cottage is a C13th undercroft, with access from the front via stone steps and an old wood door. The undercroft was modified during World War II when strengthened as an ammunition store to serve a gun emplacement on land immediately adjoining the cottage where now stands the public lookout shelter attached to the house.

Adjacent to National Trust land to the rear of the house is a delightful south facing garden laid out in a traditional cottage style being set down to lawn with serpentine borders, various paved terraces and burgeoning mixed flower beds underplanted with salvia, lavender, geraniums, agapanthus, poppies, euphorbia, sweet peas, roses, honeysuckle, etc. Attached to the cottage is a brick store and in addition, there is a summer house/garden store as well as a powder coated greenhouse. Beyond the main garden is a further area of terraced gardens on three levels with stone and brick retaining walls, paved pathways and a viewing terrace with a fabulous outlook across Pett Level to the sea.