Steep, Petersfield, Hampshire

THE PROPERTY The Waterhouse is an impressive, stylish and wonderfully imposing country house enjoying an equally captivating private situation within its delightfully relaxing water gardens and landscaped grounds. Built to a very high standard by the current owners in 2010, the property offers a striking appearance with its Georgian inspired design and Palladian influences comprising mellow tactile stone elevations incorporating Roman Tuscan-esque columns, beneath a copper roof. Whilst offering an attractive classical and historic external aesthetic, internally the house provides a notably light, comfortable and contemporary feel throughout with its design and layout, ideally suited to the convenience of modern day living and for entertaining purposes.

Approached beneath a covered portico, double doors open to an impressive double height reception hall with exposed stone walls, an imposing staircase with glazed balustrade and galleried landing above and a particular feature of the property, an exposed rill - located beneath tinted safety glass tiling - which flows beneath the hallway. The hallway also offers a large picture window which retracts into the ceiling above, thus providing direct access to the gardens.

Located off the reception hall, the drawing room is both comfortable and elegant with a magnificent stone fireplace, sash windows with window shutters and large floor to ceiling glass picture windows overlooking the attractive gardens with central door opening to an outside terrace with cascading grassed steps beyond descending to the gardens below.

The study / snug can be accessed from both the reception hall or the kitchen and is another comfortable room with a stone fireplace, curved ceiling coving, wall mounted recessed television / computer monitor and 'inverted' wood panelling on the walls, which was specifically designed to be a modern-day twist on the more conventional wood panelled walls of old.

The spacious kitchen / breakfast / family room is another particular feature of the property and is ideally designed and orientated for both entertaining and relaxing. With large glass picture windows providing extensive garden views and a glazed ceiling lantern, the room very much conveys an outside/inside feel, but equally with a corner 'floating' woodburning stove, it also makes for a cosy Winter's retreat. The kitchen area, with its large central island, is of contemporary design and functionality, with a range of modern appliances, a retractable 'window' to the utility / boot room next door, suspended trio of statement extractor fans, fitted bar and a Zaha Habib designed kitchen tap, shaped like a swan.

On the first floor, the generously proportioned and sumptuous principal bedroom suite with luxurious ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe offers delightful, elevated views across the water gardens below. A glazed galleried landing from the top of the cantilevered main staircase leads to the remaining bedrooms which comprise a guest bedroom with ensuite shower room and two further double bedrooms which both have access to a Jack and Jill shower room. 

OUTSIDE The property is approached via a long tree-lined driveway, through an electronic gate and on through light woodland, catching glimpses through the trees of the stunning gardens, as the driveway sweeps round to an extensive parking area to the front of the house and the detached double garage.

An extensive raised southerly-facing decked area, adjacent to the rear of the property, provides the ideal environment for entertaining, relaxing or simply to admire and appreciate the unique surroundings The Waterhouse affords. Rising steps to the side of the house provide access to a detached outbuilding / garden store and an elevated, grassed BBQ / dining terrace.

A large sundial adorns the easterly elevation of the property, below which is a further section of timber decking with shallow, rising stone steps leading to the garage and attractive descending lawned steps leading down to the stream, ponds, gardens and woodland beyond.

The beautifully landscaped gardens and grounds are quite exceptional, providing an oasis of privacy, calm and tranquility with the backdrop of flowing water, cascading waterfalls, attractive ponds all served from the Ashford Stream, interspersed by various lawned 'islands' and areas of light woodland. In all, the gardens and grounds extend to approximately 3.3 Acres (1.33 ha). 

SITUATION The Waterhouse enjoys a quiet and peaceful location at the foothills of the beautiful and much admired Ashford Hangers, yet within easy reach of the attractive market town of Petersfield. The property is also located within the South Downs National Park in the pretty village of Steep, which is a highly sought after village approximately 2 miles from Petersfield and is probably best known as the home of Bedales School and Dunhurst Prep School. The village has a church, thriving primary school, tennis and cricket clubs as well as The Harrow pub and The Cricketers Inn. Petersfield has a comprehensive range of facilities including Waitrose and a mainline station with train services to London Waterloo in just over an hour. The area is particularly blessed with an excellent range of schools including Bedales as already mentioned, Churcher's College, Ditcham Park and, in the state sector, TPS and Bohunt. The A3 at Petersfield provides good regional transport links to the M25 and beyond and the larger centres of Winchester, Guildford and Chichester are all within reasonable driving distance, as are the harbours and creeks of the South Coast. There are a number of good footpaths and bridleways in the surrounding area including the South Downs Way, Hangers Way and Sussex Border Path.  

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