Hooe, East Sussex£1,700,000 Freehold

Broad Street Green

French doors open from the sunroom to a sunken terrace brimming with roses and hydrangea

Call us +44 (0)20 3687 3071

This impressive five-bedroom, Grade-II listed house sits on the outskirts of Hooe, amidst the rolling hills of East Sussex. The house is a marriage of medieval and Georgian architectural traditions: its origins date to the 15th century, with later wings added in the 18th century. Extensively renovated in recent years, the house makes use of a refined material and colour palette that honours its historic fabric. Outside, two acres of lush, tranquil gardens encompass a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a detached three-bedroom cottage.

Setting the Scene

The oldest parts of the house were constructed in 1450 as a Wealden hall house, a medieval typology most prevalent in East Sussex and Kent. Timber-framed hall houses were distinguished by their layout: central bays formed the main hall open to the roof and with a hearth in the centre, while the end bays usually housed a collection of service rooms on the ground floor and ‘solars’ for sleeping and entertaining guests on the first floor.

In the centuries that followed its construction, the hall house on Broad Street Green was altered and extended, most significantly in the Georgian era. This influence can be seen today in the hung tiles, sash windows and a pilaster-flanked porch along the house’s façade. For more information, please see the History section.

The Grand Tour

From a quiet lane, a pair of wrought iron electric gates open to the sweeping driveway of the house, surrounded by beech hedges and planted with sweetly scented roses, white lavender, lemongrass and verbena, as well as an ancient mulberry tree. Extending from the hung tile and red brick façade is a gabled porch with a six-panelled front door between two pilasters. Entry is to a central hallway, with reception rooms arranged on either side.

The kitchen is to the right of the plan, within the 18th-century wing of the house. Here, light enters through double-aspect, eight-over-eight sash windows to fall on richly toned original oak floorboards. A bespoke kitchen is composed of tulipwood cabinetry finished in ‘De Nimes’ by Farrow & Ball, quartz countertops and a double butler sink. A central island provides an additional surface for preparing a summer feast, or a spot to pull up a stool and sit in the morning light from the French doors opposite. To one side of the room is a deep pantry cupboard; to another is an open fireplace beneath oak beams.

To the left of the central hallway is the drawing room, where there’s a large inglenook fireplace with an impressive oak mantel. Weathered timber beams and studs are here exposed, complemented by walls washed with ‘Jitney’ by Farrow & Ball. Beyond is another reception room with panelled walls and an original brick-laid floor underfoot. A sitting area is currently arranged around a wood-burning stove with decorative tiles from the Baked Tile Co. at the rear, with a formal dining area overlooking a mature oak tree at the front of the house. Adjacent is a utility room with an adjoining WC.

At the rear of the ground floor is a sunroom with leaded casement windows. From here, a pair of French doors open to a sunken terrace brimming with roses and draped in the branches of a mature willow tree. Stairs at the rear of the plan descend to the lower-ground floor, where there’s a second utility room, WC, and boot room with an external entrance – perfect for kicking off muddy boots after a countryside walk.

Staircases rise from the kitchen and the dining room to the first floor, where there are five bedrooms and two bathrooms. The primary bedroom, within the 18th century wing of the house, is wonderfully bright, care of sash windows on three sides of the room. Colours by Farrow & Ball have been used to coat the walls and woodwork, and the room has a large walk-in wardrobe. Just along the landing is a generously proportioned family bathroom with a roll-top bathtub, original timber floorboards, and a large window with leafy garden views.

Behind the main house is the pretty, detached cottage with its own private entrance, parking and garden. Renovated to a high standard by the current owners, it has an open-plan kitchen, living and dining room as well as three double bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The Great Outdoors

Gardens of approximately two acres surround the house and are dotted with mature willow, evergreen oak and Portuguese laurel trees in addition to fruiting quince and plum trees. The terrace immediately outside the sunroom is surrounded by hydrangea, fragrant lavender and scented David Austin roses making it a lovely place for an alfresco lunch or a barbecue in the warmer months. A lawn extends beyond the terrace, where there is a pond brimming with bulrushes that attract birds and wildlife; there’s also a tool shed, a wood store, a treehouse and a barn.

The garden also has a hard surface tennis court with floodlighting and a heated swimming pool surrounded by agapanthus and Japanese pittosporum. On the other side of the garden is a four-bay garage with electric gates.

Out and About

The house is on the outskirts of Hooe where there is a café and a farm shop. There’s also The Red Lion pub that serves a menu of daily fresh fish and locally sourced game. Ninfield village is a few minutes away, with a post office, shop and two pubs, and for further amenities such as a butcher, a bakery and fishmongers, Bexhill-on-Sea is a 10-minute drive away.

For a wider offering, Hastings’ Old Town is a 20-minute drive and home to a thriving cultural, retail and gastronomic scene. Among the finest of the town’s eateries and pubs are The Crown, The Albion, and The Rock A Nore Kitchen, all of which specialise in locally sourced, seasonal cuisine. For fish and chips fare, Maggie’s is a stalwart favourite. On the High Street, Judges Bakery (founded in 1826) and Penbuckles Delicatessen are perfect community food shops. The family-run Rock-a-Nore Fisheries, on the seafront, smokes local fish onsite.

The Old Town is full of antique markets and independent retailers too. Some of the most respected are Made in Hastings, AG Hendy & Co, Warp and Weft, Hastings Antique Centre and Ode Interiors. Art galleries are likewise abundant and include Hastings Contemporary, The Rebel Gallery, Lucy Bell Fine Art and The Memorial Gallery.

Nearby Bexhill-on-Sea is home to the De La Warr Pavilion and a new pier designed by dRMM, which opened in 2016 and was awarded the 2017 Stirling Prize for architecture. Along Bexhill-on-Sea’s coastline is Cooden Beach, a long shingle strand a perfect spot for a walk or a game of fetch with the dog. Above the beach, there is a restaurant, a bar and a golf club. St Leonards is also nearby with its hub of galleries and restaurants, explored in The Modern House’s guide to the town.

The area has a plethora of renowned private and state schools, Battle Abbey, and Claverham Secondary School, in Battle, a 15-minute drive away, Claremont, near St Leonards. Eastbourne College is also nearby. There are local village primary schools in nearby Ninfield and Catsfield.

Battle is on the mainline with regular train services from the station to London Bridge in just over an hour. Gatwick Airport is an hour and 15 minutes by train and around an hour by car.

Council Tax Band: H

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. Inigo 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.

History

This area of Sussex is steeped in history and the market towns surrounding the house are rich in tales.

Battle owes its name to the Battle of Hastings, an epic clash in 1066 between Harold, the Saxon king, and William the Conqueror. This historic battle profoundly impacted English history, altering its course forever. The town and area flourished around the Abbey of St Martin, a testament to William the Conqueror’s resolve to build it following his triumph. Construction of the Abbey took place between 1070 and 1094, with the belief that the high altar stood where Harold met his fate.

The origins of Hastings, further afield, began as a settlement that can be traced back to the Bronze Age, with its strategic maritime position ensuring its importance to invading armies. The most famous of these was the Norman Conquest of 1066, which saw the construction of Hastings Castle on the elevated sandstone cliff above the port. Hastings was subsequently recognised as one of the Cinque Ports. The town and the castle fell into disrepair following devastating floods and raids by the French in the 13th and 14th centuries.

By the 16th century, Hastings had acquired a new guise as a small fishing settlement with a backstory as a smugglers’ haven. The soft sandstone cliffs underneath the ruins of Hastings Castle were perfect for excavating a system of caves and tunnels for storing goods. The most famous of these is St Clements Caves (the earliest reference about this cave dates to 1784).