All Saints Street, Hastings, TN34

The artist Quentin Blake owned the house from 1972 – 2022. It is in the historic hub of Hastings Old Town on a street which is of huge historical and aesthetic interest, just a few metres from the sea and the beach, this house is probably the finest and most well-preserved property on the street.

The house has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, downstairs loo, flexible spaces for working from home and a good-sized, well stocked garden.

But that’s just the basic facts. What this extraordinary home has, and which can’t be measured in terms of value is the history and provenance of a building which has stood for nearly 600 years and has seen a litany of personal stories, historical upheavals and unfathomable changes in taste and domestic evolution. The original house would have stood in significant grounds and have been regarded as a grand property. The grounds would probably have extended right up to the West Hill and were a market garden.

The house was constructed before domestic staircases, glazed windows or fireplaces – all of which were added over the following centuries. The entrance “hall” would have been open to what was then a thatched roof, the kippered roof beams still on show on the top floor attest to this. The room which is now a lovely dining area would have been the place where the animals of the house were kept, with only a small dais or step to separate them from the living areas of the family. And the ground floor rooms would have been open to the first-floor level.

Irresistibly, this house was once called Merry Christmas Beer House and in the early to mid-19th century offered accommodation for travellers.

There are several internal walls in the house which are decorated with centuries-old pargetting (pargeting is an Elizabethan period decorative or waterproofing plastering). All the pargeting in this house has been beautifully preserved, never painted over and still carries the character and artistic intentions of the people who created it probably during the 16th century during a big “makeover” at 59 All Saints Street when the staircases, the chimneys and the window glazing were put in place.

This is a property which is not only historically rich but will offer its new owners a home of comfort, charm and yet be reassuringly contemporary in terms of warmth, lack of drafts with plenty of headroom, light, and great water pressure for a fantastic shower! It’s also a home which will connect you to the UK’s domestic history and each discovery of how light falls in a particularly pleasing way or a step is worn and slopes because a million feet have trodden on it before you, the house will bring pleasure which just can’t be found in a modern home.

The current owners have professional backgrounds in the creative industries and a deep understanding of how to successfully restore historic properties as well as a deep understanding of how to make a home look wonderful.

The work that’s been undertaken by the current owners mean that the house will probably continue to stand for several more hundred years and is certainly totally sound for the foreseeable future in the hands of owners who appreciate that an historic home needs to be lived in and loved. The recent work includes a total overhaul of all issues which were previously making the house damp. “There’s little point in covering up what lies beneath” explains the current owner. “You need to work out why and what is causing damp and deal with it professionally using the right materials which will allow the fabric of the house to breathe”.

This work has been done to the highest possible standards, with the accompanying listed building permissions where necessary. New plumbing, an overhaul and complete updating of the electrics, repair of all of the chimneys, repair of the roof, repair of all of the windows, installation of a Banham lock and alarm system. The garden has been beautifully landscaped to offer two sunny terraces with glorious English planting and discrete lighting. “Rose of Jericho” paints used throughout using natural distemper which allows the walls to “breathe”. By choosing this paint, the owners have not only elevated the whole look of the house from being all stark black and white and looking a bit like an old- fashioned idea of a Victorian pub, but they have also protected the infrastructure of the building and given a finish and quality which is in keeping with the age of the building. Woodwork which was previously painted has been restored in this way while leaving any unpainted wood exposed to show off its natural beauty.

A tour of the house
Entrance through what is thought to be the original 15th century front door into a living/dining room. Step up to the sitting area with inglenook fireplace which now contains a contemporary wood burning stove. Inner hallway with utility room with plumbing for washing machine and loo. Access to the garden.
Study area or snug with working fireplace and windows to the front of the house.

The kitchen/breakfast room are charmingly low-tech with free standing units, an electric “Everhot” range similar in style and function to an Aga without much of the bother of an Aga. Door to the garden. The garden has been completely renovated with rebuilt steps, rebuilt terrace area and newly commissioned ironwork in traditional style. Discrete contemporary style lighting throughout the garden. The planting here is mature and generous yet easy to maintain. There is a very useful side entrance with new lockable gate to the garden from the street.

First floor
Bedroom One has windows to the front with views down All Saints Street. Bathroom on this floor is fitted with a magnificent Lefroy Brookes shower (the Bentley of showers). View across the garden from the bathroom.

Airing cupboard with newly installed hot water tank.

The space which was formally used by Sir Quentin Blake as his painting studio is now a wonderful dressing area and large bedroom with exposed brickwork from the chimney giving additional character to the room.

Second floor
A wonderful bathroom has been created on this floor which is built into the roof gable which gives it a sense of space and light. Freestanding shower, traditional style white hand basin and loo.

The remaining rooms on this floor could be used to offer additional bedrooms or as one wonderful bedroom suite with dressing area and sitting room.

All fireplaces throughout the house are in working condition.

Heating is by modern newly installed storage heaters. The heat from storage heaters is much kinder to properties of this age: central heating can dry out the fabric of such old buildings too much. These are storage heaters of a new era which can be remotely controlled via an app.

Hastings and St Leonards have always been important and historic seaside towns in East Sussex. Recent years have seen a lot of musicians, fashion professionals, artists, writers and creative thinkers moving to the towns. The wide range of good independent shops, cafes and restaurants testify to the increasing popularity of these lovely coastal towns. Travel links to London are good with trains to London Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo East taking just over 90 minutes. There are also trains to Ashford International which then takes you through to St Pancras International on a fast line or the more picturesque but slightly longer route along the coast to Victoria which takes around 2 hours. Good links to Gatwick Airport and to Europe via the Channel Tunnel from St Pancras International. There’s a good range of schools in the area: private, state and grammar.

The beach and the sea are at the end of All Saints Street – a few minutes-walk from the house. You can hear the sea from the open windows and garden of the house.

Standard & Super fast Broadband coverage. No ultra fast broadband coverage as of yet.

Good mobile coverage on all major networks

Grade II Listed Building (entry no 1293833)

EPC rating: Exempt. Tenure: Freehold,