Cooksbridge Road, Barcombe, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8

Beautiful Grade II listed Jacobean farmhouse with holiday cottages and a range of versatile outbuildings, in a glorious rural setting.

Description

Believed to date from about 1622, Handlye Farmhouse is a beautiful timber-framed Jacobean farmhouse, listed Grade II - of special historic or architectural importance. The house is attractively situated in a country lane on the outskirts of Barcombe; rural and yet not isolated, and within convenient reach of Lewes and Haywards Heath. The house is set in mature gardens of just under an acre and benefits from an extensive range of versatile, income producing outbuildings, together with an adjoining annexe and two holiday cottages.

Almost derelict when the property was acquired by our clients in 1977, the house has been lovingly restored and extended over time and is very well presented, featuring a charming combination of modern fittings with period character including a wealth of timbers and exposed brick, open fireplaces and vaulted ceilings. The main house extends to over 2,800 square feet (excluding the attached annexe) and is well-suited for both day-to-day family life and entertaining: the rooms on the ground and first floors offer particularly generous proportions for a property of its age and there are a number of options for guest accommodation or multi-generational living.

The full extent of the house and its layout can be seen on the floor plan.

The front door opens from the driveway to a useful utility and boot room, which connects the house to the annexe. The part-vaulted, modern farmhouse kitchen and breakfast room features the original bread oven and is fitted with a good range of cabinetry with quartz worktops, a four-oven Aga, a Smeg hob, space and plumbing for a larder-style fridge/freezer, and ample space for a central breakfast table. There are two large reception rooms: the sitting room is in two sections creating two separate seating areas, the original part of the room features a brick inglenook fireplace set with a woodburner; the newer section was added by the current owners and forms a lovely, vaulted space with full height windows and French doors framing the outlook over the garden. The characterful dining room is ideal for formal entertaining, also featuring an inglenook fireplace and with an adjoining porch from which opens the original front door.

There are four bedrooms arranged over the upper two floors, the bedrooms on the southern side of the house enjoying some particularly lovely views over the gardens as far as Glyndebourne in the distance. The bedrooms are served by a family bathroom and an en suite bathroom to bedroom two, both the bathrooms fitted with period-style white suites including elegant roll-top baths.

Gardens
Handlye Farmhouse’s south-facing garden is of particular note, mature and well-stocked, mainly laid to lawn and dotted with colourful shrub and flower borders and mature trees, and with some wonderful views over adjoining farmland. A paved terrace lies next to the house and extends around to a further outdoor seating area adjoining the sitting room, covered by a wooden arbour covered in climbing plants. A pathway leads from the terrace to a small koi carp pond and on to the south-western corner of the garden, where there a number of garden outbuildings including timber tool shed and machinery stores with power connected, a greenhouse, and an enclosed chicken run.

The whole property extends in all to about 0.85 of an acre.

The Annexe
Known as 'Robin’s Rest', the self-contained annexe forms the western wing of the farmhouse, accessed via the utility and boot room. Arranged over two storeys, it comprises a modern fitted kitchen, bedroom and shower room on the ground floor, and a first floor sitting room with French doors opening to a balcony overlooking the garden.

Holiday Cottages
The former dairy and adjoining cattle barn have been attractively converted into two modern, beautifully presented and established holiday cottages, each with their own outside space. The Old Dairy is a two-storey property with two en suite bedrooms on the ground floor and an open-plan living room and kitchen on the first floor; The Bull Pen is a single-storey cottage comprising an open-plan kitchen and living room, a bedroom and an en suite shower room.

Outbuildings
Accessed via a separate driveway to the east of the farmhouse, the outbuildings are arranged around a yard which offers parking for a number of vehicles. The large workshop, barn and stable are currently let and used for light industry and workshop space, with notice served to expire on 1 December 2025.

Workshop - single-storey open plan building, measuring approximately 60ft x 25ft. (Units 1 and 1a Handlye Farm; rateable values £5,000 and £7,700.)
Barn and Stable - vaulted period barn with first floor mezzanine level to one end, with adjoining single storey former stable building. (Barn - Units 3 and 4 Handlye Farm; rateable value £10,250; Stable - Unit 5 Handlye Farm; rateable value £2,550.)
Garage/workshop - smaller timber building lying immediately to the south of the barn.

The timber-framed triple-bay garaging lies beyond the outbuildings and yard to the south, and comprises two vehicle bays, a studio with shower/WC, and a first-floor storage room over.

Location

Handlye Farmhouse is situated in a semi-rural position on the edge of Barcombe, close to open countryside. Barcombe has a thriving community, benefitting from a primary school, post office/general store, two public houses (The Royal Oak and The Anchor Inn), and a number of sports clubs including tennis, bowls, cricket and stoolball. Lewes (four miles) offers a comprehensive selection of shops, bars, restaurants, a cinema and a leisure centre.

There are many leisure activities available locally, including local clubs for football, rugby, cricket and theatre; across Sussex, activities include show jumping at Hickstead, sailing at Ardingly and golf at East Sussex National or one of the many courses across the county. The surrounding countryside offers miles of footpaths and bridleways. Sussex offers a vibrant cultural scene, with world-class opera at Glyndebourne, and the annual Brighton Festival presenting a huge programme of theatre, dance, classical music and literary events.

For equestrians, Hickstead, Pyecombe and Golden Cross showgrounds are all within a 30-minute drive.

Transport: Cooksbridge (1.7 miles) offers direct services to London Victoria, journey time from 60 minutes. Haywards Heath (10.5 miles) offers regular trains to London Victoria, London Bridge and St Pancras International, journey time from 42 minutes. To the west, the A23/M23 gives access to Gatwick airport (27 miles), central London and the south coast.

There is a good range of state and private schools in the local area including Barcombe primary school, Chailey School, Great Walstead, Cumnor House, Lewes Old Grammar School, Lewes Priory, Bede’s, Burgess Hill Girls, Hurstpierpoint College and Brighton College.

All distances and journey times are approximate.

Square Footage: 2,815 sq ft


Acreage: 0.85 Acres

Additional Info

Agent Notes: 1. The Shepherd’s Hut is excluded from the sale. 2. Health & Safety - the outbuildings are used as light industrial workshops. Given the potential hazards, access inside the outbuildings may not be not possible on all viewings.

Services: Oil fired central heating to the main house. The Old Dairy, Bull Pen and annexe have thermostatically-controlled electric panel heaters. Mains water and electricity. Three-phase power supply to the barn, workshop and garaging. The property has private drainage (two septic tanks) and we understand is not compliant with the relevant government regulations/registered with the appropriate body.
Fibre broadband is provided.

Outgoings: Lewes District Council, tax band G.

Photographs taken: September 2024.

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.