Joss Gap Road, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10

Summary: beautiful Arts and Crafts style house with stunning oak panelling and a wrap around garden, enjoying a prime location above Joss Bay beach and opposite North Foreland Golf Course.

There are two outstanding features of this property: its superb location above what is arguably the best beach in Thanet, and the classic interior design of this 1920s house, built as the seaside home of a London judge. Either of these features alone or both together make the property an amazing house to buy. Houses like this seldom come up for sale.

Location
Location, location, location. It is often said that the single most important aspect of a property is its location. Tigh Na Mara, meaning ‘By the Sea’ in Gaelic, is situated on the chalk cliff on the northern side of Joss Bay, with views over the beach, across to the North Foreland lighthouse to the South, of North Foreland Golf Course to the West and of Kingsgate Castle to the North. It enjoys an almost 180 degree panoramic view of the ever changing seascape to the North and South, featuring pleasure boats, local sea traffic, and shipping travelling between the Strait of Dover and the Thames Estuary.

It is only a short walk along the cycle path to Joss Bay to the South, and Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay to the North. The popularity of Joss Bay beach in the summer months enhances the property because the beach and the sea are there to enjoy from the private position of the house and garden, away from any parking or visitors using the cycle path, yet on hand for swimming, beach activities and other seaside pursuits such as prawning. There is also privileged access to a near empty beach at less busy times. Beach walks into Broadstairs or towards Margate are favourite activities at all times of the year. It is a delight to wake up to a rose and amber sunrise across the horizon through the window especially when the sea is calm. When the wind is blowing from the sea, Joss Bay attracts surfers both in and out of season.

Classic interior design
The second distinctive feature of the property is the interior design of the house, which is in the Arts and Crafts style and is reflected in the following attributes. The use of natural materials and handcrafted details are seen most clearly in the Hall, Drawing Room, Dining Room area and Kitchen, and the four bedrooms above them, which together constituted the original house. In these rooms, there is extensive use of oak woodwork including for panelling, the main staircase, flooring, built-in wardrobes and cupboards, window sills and other features; this was commissioned by William Heath, a local builder from St Peter’s, Broadstairs, who was the father of Prime Minister Edward Heath. The Art Deco chimney piece and fireplace in the Drawing Room is the focus of this main reception room. There are artistic touches in the tiling around the fireplace and in a few remaining stained glass window panes elsewhere. Characteristic of the functional layout of the style, all these rooms have south facing windows to make the most of sea and beach views, and this side of the house heats up naturally whenever it is sunny. The original external doors from the Hall and the Dining Room area lead naturally to the Conservatory, raised decking and down into the garden.

In the 1940s, a wing was added including the Billiard Room with hardwood flooring and a garage (now the Workshop) with bedrooms above. The wing features built-in hardwood shelves, cupboards, hallway coat storage and a walk-in wardrobe.

The current Double Garage, bedroom above and current courtyard were added around 1998.

Entrance
There is a private drive of about 25 metres down from the road into the courtyard which has ample parking, and there is additional parking outside the Utility Room and Store Room. The main entrance to the house is in the courtyard.

Inside
Passing through the Entrance Hall leads to the Hall, the centre of the house, and a wide oak staircase upstairs. Sliding oak screen panels open into the Drawing Room, with its feature fireplace and a gas fire, making a large space for entertaining. There is direct access to the Conservatory from the Hall, and access to the Sun Lounge through the Drawing Room. The Hall also leads to the Dining Room area and Kitchen, and the Utility Room. The Kitchen has a large rangemaster cooker, wooden units and a tiled floor. The Utility Room has many cupboards and two sinks, and leads to the Boiler Room and outside access. There are two Store Rooms accessible from outside.

The Billiard Room, with an ornate fireplace and a gas fire, is accessed on the left from the main entrance down the Entrance Hall, as well as through the Sun Lounge. The Entrance Hall also leads to the downstairs Lavatory, the Workshop and Garage, and stairs up to the bedrooms.

The bedroom above the Billiard Room is the master bedroom with an ensuite bath and shower, and it is the room with the widest panoramic views North and South over the coastline. Access to the original bedrooms on the first floor is through the bedroom above the Workroom and through the Office. The upstairs passage connecting the original bedrooms leads down the main stairs to the Hall. Two of these bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms, and there is a shared ensuite bathroom between the other two. One of the bedrooms has a fitted oak compactum containing drawers, a cupboard and wardrobes.

Outside
The Conservatory opens onto decking outside the Drawing Room. This leads down to a large wrap around garden mainly laid to lawn, with established hedges and shrubs, a brick shed, a greenhouse, and a summer house with views of the beach and out to sea. There is an oval shaped hedge and fenced area where children used to play and an old air raid shelter behind which has now been partially filled in.

Above the cliff there is a strip of land accessed through a gate in the hedge at the bottom of the garden which is an ideal spot for observing activities on the beach below.

The cliff itself is protected from erosion by wide concrete sea defences set up by the local authority.

Alongside the drive and the road, boarded by hedges and a gated wall, is a separate lawn where there was originally a kitchen garden. There are some solar water heating panels above the Outer Store Room.

Broadstairs and the locality
Tigh Na Mara is situated just under two miles North of the popular seaside resort of Broadstairs. Broadstairs boasts many independent shops, and a variety of restaurants, pubs and cafés. Margate is within close reach with the Turner Contemporary Gallery, a thriving café culture, and trendy eateries in the Old Town and on the Harbour Arm pier.

Activities to enjoy include walking or cycling along the 32-mile Viking Coast Trail which passes just the other side of Joss Gap Road, and all manner of watersports such as taking a surfing lesson at the Surf School at Joss Bay or a sailing lesson in Broadstairs. Golfers can play at the North Foreland Golf Club opposite the house or at the renowned championship course at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich around half an hour away (12 miles).

For commuting to London, the fast train to St Pancras takes 1 hour and 23 minutes from Broadstairs station, just a 10 minute drive from the property.

Development opportunities
There are costs associated with maintaining the house and if the style is not to taste, a new house could be built on the site, taking full advantage of the location. Alternatively, in view of other local developments, there is the potential for other sorts of development on the site, subject to normal planning consents.

Whether for someone seeking a permanent coastal residence or a luxurious seaside house, this exceptional property above Joss Bay provides an unrivalled lifestyle opportunity.