Monks Hill, Emsworth, West Sussex, PO10

Monks Farmhouse, Listed Grade II and dating back to the early 19th Century has undergone a comprehensive program of restoration and refurbishment during the last 10 years. Great care being taken to restore its period character while creating a comfortable and well-proportioned family home. The welcoming reception hall is over 28 ft in length and also provides a relaxed sitting area with handsome oak panelling, reclaimed stone fireplace and wood burning stove. The adjacent stone flagged dining room has double oak 'salon' doors opening directly onto an elegant drawing room with backlit cornicing, brick fireplace with wood burner and three-quarter height windows and French doors looking over the gardens and south coast. The kitchen provides a relaxed triple aspect informal space for everyday family living with double casement doors opening onto an adjacent sheltered terrace and walled garden. A stone flagged utility room provides ample additional storage including a walk-in larder with cold stone shelving and laundry room keeping the white goods away from the main living areas. There is also a useful boot room adjacent to the garden porch and a study provides a quiet space away from the main reception rooms for those wishing to work from home.

On the first floor a light landing with skylight provides access to four bedrooms including both principal and guest suites. The principal bedroom is particularly impressive with a high vaulted ceiling and fabulous far-reaching views to the coast. A beautifully appointed bathroom fitted with Lefroy Brooks suite includes a high sided hip bath and open sided shower with glazed screen. A guest suite on the other side of the landing has its own shower room and two further bedrooms are served by another Lefroy Brooks bathroom including rolltop bath on ball and claw feet.

An electric five-bar gate opens onto the long tree-lined driveway approaching the house from the southeast and leading to a generous parking and turning area. A barn-style oak framed building provides two enclosed garages and an open-fronted car port providing both covered and secure parking/storage. The house is surrounded by gardens and grounds of some 2.1 acres. To the south of the house an ornamental formal garden has symmetrically arranged stone shingle pathways and borders with ornamental box hedging and a fountain creating an attractive focal point. Double doors from the drawing room open onto a south and west facing terrace. The surrounding gardens are designed for ease of maintenance with sweeping lawns and well-established trees including horse chestnut, ornamental cherry and white beam. Some areas of the garden have neatly cut lawns while others are planted with meadow grass and are more informal. There is a hard tennis court with ornamental yew and beech hedging and nearby raised vegetable beds. A south facing heated swimming pool has a stone flagged surround and terrace with power operated cover and air source heat pump. A beautifully designed pool house has a vaulted ceiling with exposed oak frame and central lantern light. The stylish entertaining area has a well-equipped kitchenette and shower room, allowing this building to be used as a guest cottage/annexe if required. On the western side of the garden the boundary is walled with reclaimed Sussex bricks and planted with wisteria. Doors from the dining room and kitchen open onto a sheltered west facing terrace, ideal for catching the evening sun and edged with lavender. Brick and flint former stables retain their original stable doors concealing glazed doors onto a garden studio of some 29ft in length making an ideal outside entertaining area suitable also as a media room or gym. A plant room houses the Viessman gas fired boiler, water storage tank and associated equipment together with additional loft storage. A rear driveway to the north (owned), provides a secondary point of access for deliveries.

The property lies in countryside just to the north of the popular village of Westbourne. This is still very much a traditional village retaining a good range of local shops, several public houses, local school and a parish church. Also close by are Oakwood Preparatory School, Westbourne House, Bedales, Churchers and Portsmouth Grammar School. More comprehensive shopping facilities can be found in either Emsworth or Chichester. A couple of miles to the north lies the foot of the South Downs, criss-crossed with numerous bridlepaths and footpaths and providing some of the best countryside in this part of West Sussex and Hampshire. To the south, lie Chichester and Langstone Harbours, providing plenty of opportunities for sailing with clubs at Emsworth, Bosham and Hayling Island. Other recreational activities include a number of golf courses, the nearest being at Rowlands Castle, horse racing at Goodwood and bathing and windsurfing from various beaches along the south coast. Despite these idyllic rural surroundings, communications are good with the nearby A27 providing easy vehicular access to various centres along the south coast including Brighton, Portsmouth and Worthing. The A3 provides direct vehicle access to London and mainline stations in both Havant and Chichester provide regular services to London Waterloo and Victoria respectively.