North Stream, Marshside, Canterbury, Kent

The Old Barn is a superb home in Marshside, a small hamlet with a highly regarded village pub, which sits within what the Sunday Times describes as 'deepest Kent, surrounded by orchards and oast houses, wheat fields and windmills, under the kind of vast open skies that once inspired Turner'.

The house has been created from a wonderful Grade II Listed barn with traditional black weather-boarded elevations and offers fantastically generous living spaces.

The former cart bay provides a striking vaulted entrance hall with parquet flooring. Tall windows and glazed doors flood the space with light and stairs rise to a galleried landing, where the beautiful structure of the barn is fully exposed.

To the right of the hall a door opens to an extremely large triple aspect sitting room, with a further door leading outside. Slightly stepped down, the sitting area is arranged around a deep fireplace with a wood-burning stove, creating an intimate focus to this generous room, with additional sitting or study spaces to the edges.

Behind the hall - overlooking the garden - is a room currently used as a study. With full length windows this lovely, bright room would also provide an accessible fifth bedroom.

The layout makes for flexible accommodation with the owners currently using the dining room as a home office. This sits adjacent to the very generous kitchen/breakfast room, which provides a brilliant family space for everyday living. The kitchen has terracotta flooring and is fitted with a good range of wooden units to one end. The breakfast room/dining area has a wood-burning stove in a brick fireplace. A utility, boot room and downstairs shower room provide all the practical spaces a country property so benefits from having.

The spaciousness of the barn continues on the first-floor galleried landing, which provides ample room for a sitting area or such like. The principal bedroom has an en suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. A family bathroom services the three further bedrooms (one of which is currently used as a family room), all having the attractive exposed beams found throughout the barn, giving a great deal of character.

The Old Barn is approached via a driveway which leads under an arch between the outbuildings with hardstanding providing parking for numerous vehicles. Hedging fronts the lane and creates natural boundaries to the plot, with open countryside beyond, accessible by public footpaths.

The gardens wrap around the barn and are mainly laid to large swathes of lawn, interspersed by mature trees and a well-stocked orchard, providing a peaceful and private setting. The garden is a haven for wildlife and is visited by a wide range of birds, including woodpeckers and little owls. In the last year, local ornithologists have identified some 104 species of birds within the square kilometre in which the barn sits.

A terrace adjoins the rear of the house with access from the kitchen. Tall, clipped hedging encloses a vegetable garden with established soft fruit bushes and apricot trees, where there is also a greenhouse.

The outbuildings include a garage and an attractive range of store rooms, occupying the former stables. Currently providing excellent storage and workshop space, the building offers potential for conversion into a home office or ancillary accommodation if desired, subject to obtaining necessary consents.

Featured in The Times ‘Best Places to Live in Britain’, Marshside is a conservation area designated as an AONB. There are excellent walks close by and a highly rated village pub, The Gate Inn. Canterbury offers excellent schooling and leisure facilities; Herne Bay, Reculver and Whitstable on the coast are within easy reach.

Communication links are excellent with the A299 connecting with the M2 at Brenley Corner. High Speed rail services from Canterbury West reach London St Pancras in under an hour. The area has good access to the Continent via the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.

The property has access to High Speed broadband.