Occupying a hill-top position within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this house on Cliff End Lane is only few minutes’ walk from Pett Level beach on the rolling Sussex coast. This timber-clad 1930s house is set in well-tended gardens and orchards, and has recently been lovingly re-designed by the current owners.

The three-bedroom house lies in a wonderfully secluded position towards the end of the quiet private road, and is arranged over approximately 2,000 sq ft internally. While entrance is from a discreet front door, the rear elevation reveals a more decorative facade, topped with two terraces. The timber-cladding has been smartly painted black, and an extended wrap-around deck looks over the gardens to the sea beyond.

The ground-floor space is divided into two wings, one containing the open-plan living and dining room, kitchen and conservatory, and the other, two bedrooms. All of these spaces open directly to the terrace through a series of bi-fold doors to create a wonderful sense of connectedness between the house and gardens.

At the centre of the living spaces is a wood burner, which divides the snug living room from the dining room. Narrow grey-washed floorboards run underfoot, and the rooms are flooded with natural light from windows that look to the gardens on both sides. There is a stained glass window in the pitched roof, which makes the best of the double-height ceiling in the dining room.

Alongside the two ground-floor bedrooms, one of which has an en suite bathroom, is a utility room and a family bathroom with a large sauna.

From the middle of the house, a flight of stairs leads up to an office that opens onto the first of two roof terraces with smart irregular ironmongery and views over the south coast. The master bedroom is also set in the eaves of the house, with a roll-top bath, walk-in wardrobe and doors to the second terrace.

The gardens directly behind the house have formal lawns, with well-tended flowering bushes and grasses. Beyond, are orchards with climbing roses, apples, figs, plums, pears, artichokes and blackberries and a space for a fire pit. The newer addition of a small wood-clad outbuilding is currently set up as a home cinema, with huge sliding doors that overlook a pond. There is also a lovely potting shed.

There is a route to the Saxon Shore Way footpath moments away (running from Gravesend in Kent to Hastings), and there are spectacular walks along the Jurassic coast across the Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve. At low tide it is possible to see the stumps of ancient trees that are part of a fossilised forest dating back to the last Ice Age.

Much-loved by locals, Pett Level beach is immediately below the house. Great for swimming, the sandy cove stretches all the way towards Winchelsea and Rye harbour.

Pett Level is located midway between Rye and the increasingly popular town of Hastings. It marks the end of the Royal Military Canal, a defensive structure that runs for 28 miles to Hythe in Kent, built in preparation for a possible invasion by Napoleon. Nearby, the shallow lakes and reed beds of Pett Pools attract an enormous variety of both breeding and over-wintering wildfowl and waterbirds.

The Old Town in Hastings is around six miles away and is home to the Hastings Contmporary (formerly the Jerwood Gallery), as well as a wide variety of independent shops and restaurants. Trains from Hastings mainline station run directly to London Charing Cross in an hour and forty-five minutes.

The ancient Cinque Port of Rye is six miles away and offers great restaurants (the Globe Inn Marsh and Standard Inn being particularly notable), an independent cinema and branch-line train services to Brighton and Ashford, offering high speed connections to London St Pancras and the Continent, via Eurostar. There is a wide choice of state and private schools in the area, including Claremont School, Battle Abbey School, Buckswood at Guestling, Eastbourne College, Vinehall at Robertsbridge and Marlborough House in Hawkhurst.

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.