Fordyce, Broadstairs, Kent

This remarkable five-bedroom detached Edwardian villa is set over three floors and sits in an elevated position on the private North Foreland Estate, on the coast in Broadstairs, Kent. Subject to an impeccable renovation and extension by its current owners, it has three expansive reception rooms, a swimming pool, beautifully maintained gardens and access to a private residents’ beach. It extends to 4,271 sq ft internally, adopting a harmonious blend of contemporary styles while upholding an understated Edwardian elegance.

Setting the Scene

An important fishing port in the 1700s, Broadstairs wears its smugglers’ past on its sleeve; the coastline remains honeycombed with caves and tunnels around nearby Botany and Kingsgate bays. The town is also renowned as the site of Bleak House, a prominent cliff-side residence overlooking Viking Bay, where Charles Dickens holidayed and wrote David Copperfield.

The prestigious North Foreland Estate is privately owned and gated, with well-maintained gardens and residents’ access to a private stretch of beach. The house is thought to be the original historic show home for the estate as it was being developed, and the current owners are only the fourth to have ever occupied it. It has views to the much-loved North Foreland lighthouse as well as views across the sea to the east.

The Grand Tour

Built in 1902, the house is a fine example of vernacular architecture. It is set back from the road on an elevated plot, accessed through motorised fitted gates, with parking on a cobblestone drive.

The integrity of the building was restored during its recent and thorough renovation; its true scale, form and architectural features have been wonderfully preserved. The predominately soft red Kent brickwork - which has sections of fine decorative detailing, such as fish-scale tiles - contrasts elegantly with areas of white-painted render and a timber-framed veranda.

An original timber door at the side permits entry to a porch, where a further door is flanked by original stained-glass panels depicting flowers and foliage. The porch is surmounted by a timber-framed balcony adjoining a bedroom above.

From here, the grand hallway unfurls, with walls drenched in 'Botanical Green' by Sanderson and Little Greene's crisp 'Shirting'. Its double-height elevation allows natural light to spill in, illuminating the restored Minton-tiled floors in the process. Elsewhere, narrow strips of hardwood flooring add a tonal warmth.

Two grand reception rooms lie to the front of the plan, facing the sea, while a smart WC is tucked in a corner off the central hall, accented with a marble topped custom vanity and beautiful hand-painted basin. The first and more formal of the reception rooms is painted in 'Waxed Khaki' and has a bank of traditional four-over-one pane sash windows. Cast-iron radiators have been installed here and throughout, and a carved stone fire surround adorns the fireplace with an eco multifuel wood burner inset.

The adjacent reception room is finished in a natural scheme, with decorative wall mouldings and a large bay of beautifully restored 12-over-one pane windows inset with a door that opens to the sealed wraparound veranda, with woodwork painted in Edward Bulmer's 'Jonquil'.

To the rear, an expansive single storey orangery has been added; its pitched ceilings and skylights allow in plenty of light. A vast double-glazed lantern crowns the dining space in the orangery at the centre, while underfoot, reclaimed and exquisitely restored pitch pine parquet flooring has been painstakingly laid, continuing into the hallway, study and boot room. Expansive Acoya-framed glazing and French doors border the room, framing commanding views over the terrace and garden.

At one end is a seating area orientated towards a fireplace with a fitted wood burner from The Victorian Fireplace with a Carrara marble surround and hearth; on the other is a bespoke kitchen, doused in 'Muga', by Paint and Paper Library, with full stave oak worktops. Taps from Devol (including an instant Parthian hot tap) and a Shaws double-fluted Ribchester sink embellish the cabinetry. A separate walk-in pantry allows for further storage.

There is also a smart utility room and WC with painted handmade cabinets in 'Deep Reddish Brown' and direct poolside access. A private study is tucked behind stained-glass French doors and a generous boot room with bespoke carpentry is accessible from an informal entrance to the side.

Stairs ascend to the first floor, where the principal suite lies. A bedroom currently used as a dressing room is adjacent to a pristine bathroom with a marble-topped double vanity unit and walk-in shower, as well as a restored French antique cast-iron tub positioned with views of the sea. Taps from West One Bathrooms adorn the sanitaryware.

An additional double bedroom sits on the other side of the staircase, with a private balcony and a separate family bathroom opposite with green zellige tiles. On the uppermost floor, a sprawling landing with handmade bookshelves gives way to two further double bedrooms and a bathroom with a separate shower and bathtub.

The Great Outdoors

Fordyce is brilliantly situated with views to the east across the sea and surrounded by well-kept gardens. The terrace, complete with Dutch clay pavers from London Stone, has been dug down and is accessed immediately from the dining area, with raised and planted beds surrounding it for shelter - a tranquil sun-trap for barbecuing and entertaining throughout much of the year.

Beyond the terrace, a sawn sandstone-bordered heated swimming pool receives light throughout the day, and runs particularly efficiently due to an air source heat pump. It is complete with a seamlessly integrated and concealed automatic safety cover, and has an accompanying exposed copper thermostatic outdoor shower. Areas of flat and sloped lawns provide subtly demarcated areas for play or relaxation. Well-planted borders frame the lawns with evergreen holly, robinia and choisya, alongside olive trees, pinus sylvestris, mixed grasses and palms. Flowering deciduous trees such as ‘Red Sentinel’ and ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ are interplanted. 

To the rear of the plot lies an enclosed allotment area. There is also a separate insulated pool storage shed, with running water and electrics.

Out and About

The house is positioned for the best of the local beaches. There is a family-friendly beach at Viking Bay, although residents have private access to a gated stretch of sandy beach at the foot of the cliffs via the 39 steps.

Broadstairs is 20-minutes away on foot and has, in recent years, enjoyed a significant resurgence. It is now home to a thriving community of independent shops and restaurants, including the local Staple Stores bakery and café, seafood specialist Twenty Seven Harbour Street, as well as The Funicular Coffee House, which is built into the old ticket office of a long-decommissioned clifftop funicular. The old town itself remains a haven of antique shops, cafés and traditional Kentish pubs. Morelli’s ice cream parlour is a wonderfully over-the-top establishment on the seafront.

Nearby Margate is now home to an influx of young creatives, including Liddicoat and Goldhill, the architects behind Maker’s House, and the internationally renowned Turner Contemporary art gallery, as well as the recently-restored Dreamland. These businesses (and many more like them) have helped to create a thriving art, food and music scene. Much-loved Whitstable and Ramsgate are also within easy reach, as is historic Canterbury.

Broadstairs has a mainline railway station that runs services to London St Pancras in approximately an hour and 20 minutes. There are also good road links to London and the rest of Kent via the motorway network, or to the Eurostar at nearby Folkestone.

Council Tax Band: G