North Elham, Elham, Canterbury, Kent

The Well House is a beautiful family home set in the stunning surroundings of the Elham Vally. The house has been fundamentally rebuilt and extensively remodelled by the owners to deliver an exceptionally elegant and comfortable home with careful thought to the requirements of family life. The house has Victorian, Edwardian and possibly earlier origins which are now fronted by a wonderful façade replicating the appealing symmetry of the Georgian era.

Beneath a pillared portico, the front door opens to an entrance lobby and elegant reception hall beyond. Sitting to the centre of the house, this generous space provides an exceptional start to the sophisticated and well-designed accommodation. To the right of the hall, three reception rooms - a drawing room, a dining room and a study - enjoy Edwardian proportions with high ceilings and large windows and fireplaces. The dining room has a deep bay window, as does the study which is lined with fitted bookshelves and cupboards. The drawing room has two sets of French doors opening to the garden.

Across the hall, a fantastic family kitchen is arranged around an island and Aga. Fitted with timeless, traditionally styled units, the room is open to a beautiful orangery which is flooded with light and draws in the landscaped gardens. Adjoining the kitchen is a useful boot room with access down to the cellar as well as a generous utility room.

The staircase rises to a spacious landing, passing a tall sash window. Together with the hall these wonderfully indulgent spaces give the house a lovely, generous feel.

The principal bedroom is double aspect with stunning views over the surrounding countryside and benefits from a fitted dressing room and an en suite bathroom. There are three further bright double bedrooms, two of which are en suite, and all have fireplaces. The family bathroom completes this level. Stairs rise to the second floor where there are two further bedrooms, one of which is en suite, and there is also a dressing room.

The Well House is approached through double five-bar gates over a block-paved driveway providing parking in front of the carport, which has a cloakroom and a room above.

In addition to creating an exceptional house, the regeneration project encompassed landscaping the grounds to create a suitably beautiful setting and the perfect backdrop for the house. Close to the house sheltered terraces provide peaceful spots in which to enjoy the surroundings. To the front, steps rise to a terraced lawn flanked by beautifully planted rose and shrub borders. From this elevated level the view unfolds over the top of established hedging.

An additional terrace houses an ornate vegetable garden with raised beds and a greenhouse enclosed by beech and yew hedging. The garden continues, providing a series of captivating ‘rooms’ and a journey moving from the more formal planting to the front of the house to the informality of the wildflower garden with meadowlike planting and a wildlife pond. Paths meander through the orchard underplanted with meadow grasses and flowers, all nestled amongst the quintessentially Kentish countryside of the breathtaking Elham valley.

Situated within the Kent Downs AONB. Elham has a church, village halls, a GP surgery, pubs, restaurants, a museum, playground, cricket club and primary school, and enjoys easy access to the 21-mile Elham Valley Way.

Canterbury, Folkestone and Sandwich offer an array of more extensive shopping, educational and leisure amenities, with Sandwich also being home to the renowned Royal St George’s Golf Club. The area offers numerous sporting opportunities including golf, cricket grounds and sailing off the south coast.

Communications links are excellent: regular High Speed train services from Ashford International reach London from around 37 minutes. The nearby A2 and M20 give access to the wider motorway network. There is convenient access to France and Europe via Eurotunnel (4 miles) and the Port of Dover.