Brightling, Robertsbridge

A substantial Grade II Listed family home in this delightful village, with unrivalled views, a 60 acre landholding and excellent equestrian facilities.


This handsome Grade II listed home was originally the Rectory, with the oldest part dating back to circa 17th century and with later 18th century additions. It is a striking property offering everything needed for a country lifestyle, with extensive outbuildings, including stabling. The property enjoys an exceptional elevated rural position with far reaching views in the charming and historic East Sussex village of Brightling, within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Glebe House has been sympathetically enhanced over the years, and retains a sense of history and grandeur. The three notable formal reception rooms are full of character with many attractive period features, including high ceilings, big bay windows, working wooden folding shutters, stripped pine flooring and sizeable fireplaces. Other lovely features include Gothic-style windows, several with decorative stained glass insets.
The expansive living space extends into the oldest part of the house. The impressive country-style kitchen/breakfast room, complete with a four-oven Aga (including an electric companion oven), has stylish limestone flagstone flooring and is open plan to an informal family area with a wood burning stove.
The excellent practical domestic space is geared for country living, with quarry tiled flooring, a laundry room, boot/dog room with shower, a log store and a cozy snug with a wide brick fireplace and doors out to the terrace.
Completing the accommodation are six/seven good-sized bedrooms arranged over the top two floors, each with their own individual character and including an impressive principal bedroom suite with a wonderful view and a stylish en suite bathroom, linking to a dressing room. The spacious guest suite comprises two bedrooms and an en suite bathroom and there are two further bedrooms on the first floor (one en suite) and a study, with bedroom 6 and a large attic room at the top.

THE GROUNDS
Glebe House is set within an established garden of about an acre which wraps round to all sides providing a high degree of privacy. There are areas of lawn, many mature trees including a magnificent beech and a yew, swathes of rhododendron for spring colour, pretty rose borders and many sheltered terraced seating areas.
Steps lead down to a Roman-ended heated swimming pool, with a surrounding paved terrace and an electrically operated retractable cover.
The garden slopes gently down from the rear of the house to the adjoining fields, and the elevated south-easterly aspect allows for full appreciation of the exceptional uninterrupted and expansive rural views over its own land.
The gated entrance from the lane opens into a large parking and turning area in front of the outbuildings, providing ample space for several vehicles, including horse boxes and trailers.

EQUESTRIAN FACILTIES
The stable yard is nicely positioned away from the main house in what was the old walled garden, yet is close enough for ease of management. Nine stables are arranged around a small central turnout area, together with a wash down box.
The well maintained manège has a sand and rubber surface and is sited below the yard, reached by a walkway which also gives access to the fields which are fenced to the boundaries, and currently sub-divided into manageable paddocks for rotation.
The landholding included with the sale amounts to about 60 acres in total, comprising mostly fields, interspersed with mixed woodland (about 14 acres), with two public footpaths to the far boundaries away from the house as marked on the land plan. A further parcel of land of about 13 acres is available by separate negotiation.
Three additional substantial outbuildings lie above the stable yard, currently used as a tack room and storage, with the potential for other uses, subject to any necessary planning consents, including Listed Buildings Consent.
A major bonus for horse owners is the very good access to off road riding in the area, with public bridleways in close vicinity of the property, and further toll riding routes for paid-up members of “TROT”, the Toll Rides Off Road Trust.