Lewes Road, Laughton, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8

Character modern house with cottage, outbuildings and equestrian facilities set in 18 acres with far-reaching South Downs views. No onward chain.

Description

No onward chain

Shiplake is a spacious detached house, situated on the edge of the village of Laughton, in a lovely semi-rural location with wonderful views over its own land to the South Downs beyond. The house was built in the 1980s by a builder who specialised in reclaimed materials, resulting in a modern home with interesting character features including some handsome timbers, church door frames and stained glass windows, and salvaged wide oak floor boards in the hall. The house benefits from the addition of a separate one-bedroom cottage which has an established record as a popular holiday let, together with stabling and a variety of outbuildings, as can be seen on the floor plan.

The main house is arranged over two floors and extends to over 2,500 square feet, with generous room sizes and a pleasing layout. The front door opens to a spacious entrance hall from which stairs rise to the galleried landing above; lying off the hall are two reception rooms including a versatile snug or study, and a large dual-aspect sitting room featuring an open fireplace and with French doors, flanked by stained glass panels, opening to the terrace.

The open-plan kitchen, dining and family room is a great space for day-to-day family life, with doors opening to the garden and ample space for a dining table and sofas. The kitchen is fitted with a range of cream units with granite-effect worktops, a Smeg range oven and space for further appliances; it is served by a utility/boot room with space for laundry appliances and an adjoining shower room.

There are five bedrooms on the first floor, the three bedrooms across the back (south) of the house benefitting from wonderful views over the gardens to the Downs on the horizon. Bedroom one has a walk-in dressing room and an en suite shower room, the other bedrooms share a large family bathroom with a modern white suite including a bath and separate shower cubicle.

There is eaves access from bedroom five to a large low-ceilinged store room.

Little Shiplake
The separate one bedroom cottage faces onto the courtyard and comprises a bedroom with large walk-in closet, living room, kitchen and shower room, together with a secluded area of garden to the north of the cottage and private access, if required, by way of the secondary driveway. The cottage has been run as a successful holiday let, or could offer ideal ancillary accommodation to the main house for guests or staff; there is potential to further enlarge the property by extending into the adjoining garaging, subject to the necessary consents.

Outside
Set back from Lewes Road, the main house is accessed via a driveway to a parking area ahead of the house. The driveway continues under an archway to a courtyard, around which is set the garaging, cottage and stables, and allows access to a further parking area beyond the stables, the secondary driveway, and gated access to the paddocks.

The garaging comprises three bays, one housing a sauna, together with two store rooms; there is a separate tractor store adjoining the eastern end of the cottage. Lying across from the garaging is the stable block, including two loose boxes, a tack room and an adjoining pony stable.

The formal garden is arranged in two main sections: to the north of the house, flanking the driveway and well screened from the road is an expanse of lawn dotted with trees, with a small stream running along the western boundary and a central pond, home to koi carp. To the south of the house is a further area of beautifully tended garden, mainly laid to lawn with a large paved terrace extending across the southern side of the house, and an area of light woodland. To the west of the house is a productive kitchen garden with raised beds and fruit cages, and outbuildings including a large workshop, adjoining store, two greenhouses and a separate log store.

The land extends away from the house to the south, arranged as a series of paddocks each with water troughs and with hedging, fencing and mature oak trees to the boundaries. There is an attractive tree-lined lake, and a band of woodland to the far southern boundary.

House and garden, about 1.4 acres.
Land, about 16.5 acres.

Location

Shiplake is situated in the rural village of Laughton, just north of the South Downs National Park. The village has a primary school, shop/post office and public house; the internationally renowned opera house Glyndebourne is a few miles away.

The property is almost equidistant between the historic county town of Lewes (seven miles) and Uckfield (six miles), both of which have a range of shopping facilities, leisure centres and a variety of pubs and restaurants. The coastal City of Brighton & Hove is 15 miles to the south west and Eastbourne 14 miles to the south.

There is racing at Plumpton and Goodwood; golf at Lewes and the East Sussex National; sailing at Brighton; and many bridle and footpaths close by.

Rail services: Lewes station provides connections across the south east and to London Bridge/ London Victoria (journey time from 64 minutes).

Schools: There are numerous good schools in the area, including Laughton Primary, Bede’s Prep and Senior School, Lewes Old Grammar School, Eastbourne College and Brighton College.

All distances and journey times are approximate.

Square Footage: 2,545 sq ft


Acreage: 17.9 Acres

Additional Info

Agent’s Note: There are two footpaths crossing the land. A fenced path runs west to east between the formal garden and paddocks, screened from the house by high beech hedging; a further footpath runs through the band of woodland to the far south of the property.

Services: LPG fired central heating. Mains electricity, water and drainage.

Outgoings: Wealden District Council, .
Shiplake tax band G.
Little Shiplake rateable value £1,600

Photographs taken: July 2023.

Cladding: This property may have cladding. The property is under six floors so any cladding may not have been tested. Purchasers should make enquiries about the external wall system of the property, if it has cladding and if it is safe or if there are interim measures in place.