Life’s a Beach: splendid seaside homes

Nothing quite captures Inigo’s imagination like the sea. The roar of the waves, the smell of salt in the air, the brilliant light: life on the coast brings a closeness to the natural world that’s hard to find anywhere else in the country. Whether you prefer quaint seaside communities, isolated cliff-top getaways or bustling beach towns, you’re spoilt for choice on the British Isles, as proven by these five sanctuaries by the sea, handpicked from Inigo’s listings.

THE DEAL LUGGER, DEAL, KENT

Deal got something of a rough, er, deal in the past (Samuel Pepys, in 1660, described it as “pitiful”, while Dickens, in Bleak House, said it was “dull”). While we’re not usually ones to disrespect the literati, we must politely disagree, for Deal is one of Kent’s best-kept secrets. This sensitively restored Grade-II listed cottage is situated right in the heart of the old town: a picturesque warren of historic houses and independent shops that includes grocers Arno & Co, homewares store Found & Green, and the celebrated no-nonsense French bistro, Frog and Scot. Where once the long, flat beach was used to launch the town’s famous ‘lugger’ boats, from which the house takes its name, today it has helped establish as Deal a much-loved resort – even if it’s yet to be discovered by many outside its close community.

HARTLAND POINT, HARTLAND, DEVON

Everywhere you look from this Grade II-listed Georgian country house are skies, seas and sweeping views of the bucolic north Devon countryside. Commanding an elevated position of the Hartland Heritage Coast, the house is just a short walk from both the hamlet of Stoke (via the grounds of the elegant Hartland Abbey) and some of the wildest and most rugged North Atlantic beaches in the area. It’s been carefully restored over the past two decades by the current owners, who have preserved its 18th-century details – flagstoned corridors, wooden panelling, large open fireplaces – while discretely modernising here and there. This is as much a place for holing up from the elements as it is a base from which to explore the dramatic, remote landscape that surrounds it.

GOTTEN MANOR, ISLE OF WIGHT

Gotten Manor is the product of more than a thousand years of history. An extraordinary palimpsest of lives and lifestyles from the past millennia, the Grade-II listed house offers a snapshot of Britain from the Jutes – the Germanic tribe who settled here after the Romans – through the 13th and 17th centuries to the 19th, when the house was last majorly remodelled. Set on high ground, with a view of the English Channel, and hidden from the road, Gotten Manor is a haven. It offers an escape from the relentless pace of modern life – though happily not completely; it’s only a short drive from farm shops, delicatessens and, most importantly, a host of historic watering holes.

PAST SALES

BELGRAVE PLACE, BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX

Vibrant, colourful and eccentric, Brighton needs little introduction, but as the only cul-de-sac on the seafront, Belgrave Place, which Inigo sold last year, is something of an open secret. This apartment occupies the top two floors of a stately mid-19th century terrace built by Thomas Cubitt, the developer responsible for much of this area of Brighton, as well as some of the most handsome squares in London. With an elevated view of the sea from its balcony, it’s a stately sanctum from which to enjoy the city, without getting caught up in the bustle. A 20-minute walk sees you in the city centre; closer to home there’s Open Bakery for fresh bread, Busby and Wilds for dinner, and – of course – the beach for swimming (all year round, if you’re feeling brave).

STANLEY HOUSE, ALDERTON, SUFFOLK

The competition for the most picturesque village on the Suffolk coast is hotly contested. Vying for the title are the popular resorts of Southwold and Aldeburgh, where composer Benjamin Britten lived, the Medieval settlement of Orford, on the River Ore, and Thorpeness, a ‘fantasy holiday village’ with well-preserved mock-Tudor houses. Alderton, where this Victorian worker’s cottage is found, is often unfairly overlooked, though it deserves attention for its quaint, colourful high street, well-stocked village shop and 14th-century church (complete with dramatic ruined tower). As well as being within easy reach of all these, this cottage, which sold through Inigo in 2021, is a short walk away, through open fields, from Shingle Street and its wide flat beach offering a stunning panorama of sea and sky.