Restored and extended to a refined design by William Deakins Architects, this wonderful five-bedroom house is set within an acre and a half of private gardens bordering the Wadhurst Park Estate. The house is an elegant marriage of 16^th century and Victorian elements, punctuated with sympathetic contemporary additions internally. It extends to almost 4,500 sq ft with a separate insulated gym and garage/store and uninterrupted views across the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The house is located to the south of the coveted market town of Wadhurst and is accessed along a private no-through road, leading to an area adjoining the existing garage, with parking for several cars. Planning is in place here for the erection of a new two-storey, oak-framed three-and-a-half bay garage.

Approached along a wide south-facing terrace, the house takes a sculptural form atop its beautifully landscaped grounds. Entry is through a gentle-toned facade of lime render and structural oak. A hall with limestone-slab flooring leads right to a dining room and beyond to a utility room, cloak room, a guest WC, and large sitting room, all arranged around and with access to a section of paved terrace or growing gardens at the rear. Also within this northern wing is the study which occupies the eighteenth-century addition; an octagonal sandstone turret clad internally in a rough-sawn painted timber.

At the southern end of the house is the drawing room which contains an inglenook fireplace. This leads through to a new oak structure containing the kitchen and breakfast room. Glazed walls frame the far-reaching views to the south across uninterrupted rolling countryside and double doors open to the front terrace. Flooring is polished concrete, with bespoke cabinets of birch plywood set against worktops of Carrara marble. Overhead, a vaulted cathedral ceiling reveals the excellent craftsmanship of the oak pegging and beamwork, all beautifully pared with architectural lighting by Flos.

On the first floor there are four large bedrooms and three bathrooms, with a fifth bedroom on the second level. The master bedroom has south-facing windows and an en-suite bathroom with an excellent marble-clad shower entered beneath a large oak beam.

The design has stripped much of the unnecessary ornament that existed, replacing skirting with shadow gaps and removing architraves from doorways. The result is a seamlessness through each architectural period and the drawing of focus to materiality, space and light.

The architect describes the restoration as a challenge surmounted in two parts; first, the integration of the building into its landscape, overseen by Deakins and renewed with designs from Christopher Bradley-Hole and Jo Thompson, both RHS-Chelsea gold medalists. Second, the tying of the periods of architecture into one cohesive series of structures that complement one another in form and material.

The garden is arranged in a series of terraced lawns connected by granite steps with borders surrounded by mature trees. An enchanting trail through long grasses and wildflowers leads to a fully insulated studio, currently used as a gym. At the rear of the house are several raised growing beds for vegetables and herbs. The terrace faces south west and enjoys bucolic views of uninterrupted countryside to the horizon.

Beyond the formal gardens is a wild garden area planted with multi-stemmed Himayalan Birch through which a mown path leads to the paddock. In total the garden, grounds and paddock extend to just under 0.6 of a hectare (1.4 acres).

The house and grounds are surrounded on three sides by Wadhurst Park, a privately owned 800-hectare estate managed in order to protect its nature, cultural heritage and beauty. No pesticides are used in the management of the land and sustainability and the enhancement of the environment are at the heart of the principles of the Park. Public footpaths run through Wadhurst Park and from the garden gate of the house there are numerous paths which avoid roads and enable the surrounding countryside, and Wadhurst Park in particular, to be enjoyed.

The house occupies a rural position between the hamlets of Tidebrook and Scragg Oak, about two miles south of Wadhurst. Wadhurst itself is an attractive village with an impressive range of independent and local shops, cafés, schools and a mainline railway station, making it popular for London commuters. Mayfield and Tunbridge Wells are also close by for further and wider offerings.

Train services to London Bridge from Wadhurst have a journey time from around 52 minutes and continue on to either Charing Cross or Cannon Street.

Images courtesy of Edmund Sumner and William Scott 

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.