Lincoln Avenue, Canterbury, Kent

Welcome to 11 Lincoln Avenue, a wonderfully spacious, light-filled family home with a substantial garden in a quiet residential road a short distance from Canterbury city centre.

The owners moved here 10 years ago, looking for more space for their growing family. They told us: “The size of the garden sold it to us – given it is so close to the city centre. No more school runs, as the children could walk to school. We’ve loved having so many spaces in the house where we can each find somewhere to work, study, play, practise the piano or relax with friends.
We spend much of the day in the kitchen-dining room and we have really enjoyed entertaining here – it’s so light, warm and spacious. It’s a lovely, easy house to live in and we’re happy to know that another family will enjoy it as much as we have.”

At the heart of the house is the fabulous kitchen-dining room, designed by Herringbone in 2017 with Minerva worktops, Karndean flooring and Emma Bridgwater roman blinds. This is a great space for suppers with friends, teenage get-togethers, or weekend brunches. It’s arranged around a large island, with a wide breakfast bar and lots of storage: deep drawers, larder cupboards and a built-in full-height fridge. There’s a double sink, space for a dishwasher and a pull-out recycling compartment.

Double doors open out to a terrace leading to the wonderful 1/3 acre gardens. There are many varied areas to enjoy: shady spots under the beech tree, sunny lawns, mature trees and shrubs, a large vegetable patch, raised beds and espaliered apples and pears along a brick wall. The garden has 3 sheds, a greenhouse, a children’s swing set and a pretty summerhouse (with power and heating).

Through the kitchen is the utility room with a sink, built-in cupboards and the boiler, plus room for a tall freezer. This leads to the laundry /boot room with ample accommodation for white goods and plenty of hanging space, plus a second cloakroom.

The music room with its stunning oak beams was converted from the garage in 2016 and has its own separate entrance, so it could equally serve as an office, snug - even a self-contained annexe.

The sizeable sitting room spans the whole width of the house and has a gas fireplace for an instant heat boost in winter. There are sliding doors to a double-glazed wooden conservatory which leads out to the secondary garden terrace.

There’s a good-sized light-filled office, which could be a sixth bedroom, and another stylish downstairs loo, both off a welcoming hallway with plenty of storage and hanging space. A separate porch leads to the front door.

Upstairs there are five double bedrooms off a broad landing. The principal bedroom is double aspect giving lovely views over the garden and the cathedral, with a walk-in wardrobe and a large en suite bathroom with double basins, jacuzzi bath and shower.

Two of the other four bedrooms have built-in wardrobes. The family bathroom has a bath and separate shower cubicle. There is access to the loft (which is boarded and insulated) with a built-in ladder and plenty of shelved storage space.

It's a warm house in winter, with double-glazed windows new in 2019. The front of the house faces east for the morning sunshine and the back gets the afternoon sun. Outside the kitchen is a lovely corner on the terrace for a sunset cocktail.

South Canterbury is popular for good reason: it’s close to many popular state and private schools and it’s a short distance from the city centre, more vibrant than ever with its shopping centre and independent shops, pubs, coffee shops and restaurants.

There are many cultural draws here too, including the Marlowe Theatre and two universities - between them attracting many West End productions, international orchestras and opera, plus there are three cinemas and of course Canterbury’s historic Cathedral. There are excellent sports facilities nearby, and cycle routes, rivers and beautiful countryside across East Kent.

Canterbury has two stations, serving London and the coast, including the High-Speed rail link to St Pancras from about in 53 minutes. The Channel Tunnel and Port of Dover are readily accessible for crossings to the Continent.