House For Sale £1,500,000
ROOMS Reception hall, Drawing room, Dining room, Inner hallway, Farmhouse kitchen, Scullery, Laundry/morning room, Cloakroom, Cellar, Landing, Four double bedrooms,Two bathrooms, Oil central heating, Useful outbuilding, Gardens and grounds including naturalised meadows and woodland of approaching two and a half acres.
LOCATION Sowdens is situated on the Udimore ridge, set back from the road, with far reaching southerly views across the diversified scenery of woodland, valley and hill in the Tillingham Valley. The village of Udimore, which is located on the edges of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has two public houses, St. Marys Church, the nave of which is Norman, and a community hall. From the village there are extensive walks across open countryside in the Brede and Tillingham valleys. 3 miles to the east is the Ancient Town and Cinque Port of Rye, renowned for its historical associations, medieval fortifications and fine period architecture. As well as its charm and history, the town has a comprehensive range of shopping facilities and an active local community, with the arts being strongly represented; Rye Arts Festival and Rye International Jazz Festival are both held annually and a two-screen cinema complex is available in Lion Street. From the town there are local train services to Eastbourne and to Ashford International, from where there are high speed connections to London St Pancras (37 minutes) and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam via Eurostar. Direct main-line commuter rail services into both London Charing Cross and Cannon Street can be found at Robertsbridge (10 miles) taking approximately 1hr, 20 minutes. Sporting facilities in the area include a leisure centre with a 25m pool, lawn tennis club, sailing at Rye Harbour and numerous golf courses within a 15-mile radius.
DESCRIPTION A particularly fine Grade II Listed timber framed Sussex farmhouse of early fifteenth century origin with wattle and daub infilling to the façade set with leaded light and arrowhead windows beneath a steeply pitched hipped tiled Crown post roof, lovingly restored with meticulous detail using only traditional materials and techniques. The spacious accommodation, which is of good ceiling height and incorporates later Georgian and Victorian additions, is arranged over three levels, as shown on the floor plan. Particular features include massive timber framing including curved braces and studwork, a mullion window, limewashed ceiling beams, old brick floors, inglenook fireplaces and wide antique floorboards.
GROUND FLOOR The property is approached via a gabled porch with a front door opening into a reception hall with a vaulted ceiling, terracotta tiled floor and exposed brickwork to one wall. The huge, double aspect sitting room has a massive inglenook fireplace with an oak lintel and wood burning stove, limewashed timber framing, old brick floor, an oak door to the garden and a second fireplace with a tiled inner surround and fitted wood burner. The well-proportioned dining room has exposed ceiling beams, a wide inglenook fireplace with a fitted wood burning stove and exposed floorboards.
The farmhouse kitchen has an old brick floor, a 2-oven oil Aga and freestanding Aga Module companion with an electric hob set into an inglenook fireplace and a range of hand crafted traditional painted cabinets comprising cupboards, drawers and a dresser unit, wood work surfaces, a double bowl sink with brass mixer tap and plumbing for a dishwasher. Adjacent is a morning/laundry room with a vaulted ceiling, whitewashed brick walls, exposed floorboards and space for a washing machine and tumble drier. Leading off from the inner hall, there is a walk-in scullery, a cloakroom, steps down to a cellar and a staircase to the first floor.
FIRST FLOOR Bedroom 1, which is located in the Georgian wing of the building, has a fine cast iron fireplace, exposed floorboards and an en suite cloakroom. Bedroom 2 has a mullion window, brick fireplace, exposed arched bracing and original wide floorboards. Bedroom 3 has a brick fireplace and a vaulted ceiling with exposed timber framing including a crown post which sits on a massive tie beam. There are two bathrooms, both of which retain their 1960's vintage period fitments and black glass splashbacks.
SECOND FLOOR On the second floor, there is a large attic bedroom with exposed timber framing and a dormer window.
OUTSIDE Sowdens is approached via a long tarmacadamed driveway which leads around the far side of the large pond to an extensive parking and turning area at the rear of the house where there is a useful outbuilding currently used for storage. The hedge enclosed front garden is laid down to lawn with mixed cottage flower beds with verbina, giant fennel, lupins, stacys byzantine, giant thistle, etc. To the rear is a productive kitchen garden, two underground water sumps, burgeoning borders filled with honeysuckle, hydrangeas, geraniums, roses, digitalis and an orchard with apple and fig trees, beyond which are sloping wild flower meadows with specimen trees and mown walkways, from where there are glorious views over the adjoining farmland and undulating countryside, which lead to an area of woodland with a tree house.
LOCATION Sowdens is situated on the Udimore ridge, set back from the road, with far reaching southerly views across the diversified scenery of woodland, valley and hill in the Tillingham Valley. The village of Udimore, which is located on the edges of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has two public houses, St. Marys Church, the nave of which is Norman, and a community hall. From the village there are extensive walks across open countryside in the Brede and Tillingham valleys. 3 miles to the east is the Ancient Town and Cinque Port of Rye, renowned for its historical associations, medieval fortifications and fine period architecture. As well as its charm and history, the town has a comprehensive range of shopping facilities and an active local community, with the arts being strongly represented; Rye Arts Festival and Rye International Jazz Festival are both held annually and a two-screen cinema complex is available in Lion Street. From the town there are local train services to Eastbourne and to Ashford International, from where there are high speed connections to London St Pancras (37 minutes) and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam via Eurostar. Direct main-line commuter rail services into both London Charing Cross and Cannon Street can be found at Robertsbridge (10 miles) taking approximately 1hr, 20 minutes. Sporting facilities in the area include a leisure centre with a 25m pool, lawn tennis club, sailing at Rye Harbour and numerous golf courses within a 15-mile radius.
DESCRIPTION A particularly fine Grade II Listed timber framed Sussex farmhouse of early fifteenth century origin with wattle and daub infilling to the façade set with leaded light and arrowhead windows beneath a steeply pitched hipped tiled Crown post roof, lovingly restored with meticulous detail using only traditional materials and techniques. The spacious accommodation, which is of good ceiling height and incorporates later Georgian and Victorian additions, is arranged over three levels, as shown on the floor plan. Particular features include massive timber framing including curved braces and studwork, a mullion window, limewashed ceiling beams, old brick floors, inglenook fireplaces and wide antique floorboards.
GROUND FLOOR The property is approached via a gabled porch with a front door opening into a reception hall with a vaulted ceiling, terracotta tiled floor and exposed brickwork to one wall. The huge, double aspect sitting room has a massive inglenook fireplace with an oak lintel and wood burning stove, limewashed timber framing, old brick floor, an oak door to the garden and a second fireplace with a tiled inner surround and fitted wood burner. The well-proportioned dining room has exposed ceiling beams, a wide inglenook fireplace with a fitted wood burning stove and exposed floorboards.
The farmhouse kitchen has an old brick floor, a 2-oven oil Aga and freestanding Aga Module companion with an electric hob set into an inglenook fireplace and a range of hand crafted traditional painted cabinets comprising cupboards, drawers and a dresser unit, wood work surfaces, a double bowl sink with brass mixer tap and plumbing for a dishwasher. Adjacent is a morning/laundry room with a vaulted ceiling, whitewashed brick walls, exposed floorboards and space for a washing machine and tumble drier. Leading off from the inner hall, there is a walk-in scullery, a cloakroom, steps down to a cellar and a staircase to the first floor.
FIRST FLOOR Bedroom 1, which is located in the Georgian wing of the building, has a fine cast iron fireplace, exposed floorboards and an en suite cloakroom. Bedroom 2 has a mullion window, brick fireplace, exposed arched bracing and original wide floorboards. Bedroom 3 has a brick fireplace and a vaulted ceiling with exposed timber framing including a crown post which sits on a massive tie beam. There are two bathrooms, both of which retain their 1960's vintage period fitments and black glass splashbacks.
SECOND FLOOR On the second floor, there is a large attic bedroom with exposed timber framing and a dormer window.
OUTSIDE Sowdens is approached via a long tarmacadamed driveway which leads around the far side of the large pond to an extensive parking and turning area at the rear of the house where there is a useful outbuilding currently used for storage. The hedge enclosed front garden is laid down to lawn with mixed cottage flower beds with verbina, giant fennel, lupins, stacys byzantine, giant thistle, etc. To the rear is a productive kitchen garden, two underground water sumps, burgeoning borders filled with honeysuckle, hydrangeas, geraniums, roses, digitalis and an orchard with apple and fig trees, beyond which are sloping wild flower meadows with specimen trees and mown walkways, from where there are glorious views over the adjoining farmland and undulating countryside, which lead to an area of woodland with a tree house.
