North Foreland Grange, Broadstairs, Kent

With uninterrupted views out to the English Channel, this fantastic Edwardian home in Broadstairs, Kent, is a true seaside delight. It spans some 4,600 sq ft, with eight versatile bedrooms and a distinguished set of living spaces. A sense of the home’s period grandeur prevails throughout, palpable in soaring ceilings, original parquet floors, careful detailing, and an abundance of cast-iron fireplaces. At its rear is an expansive rear garden, where a studio with wiring sits sequestered at its foot.



Setting the Scene



The rich cultural heritage of Broadstairs has been drawing people to the Kent coastline for centuries. It was an important fishing port in the 1700s and continues to wear its smugglers’ past on its sleeve: the coastline is honeycombed with caves and tunnels around nearby Botany and Kingsgate bays. Broadstairs is also renowned as the site of Bleak House, a prominent residence on the cliff overlooking Viking Bay, the namesake of Charles Dickens’ 1852 novel.



The Grand Tour



A beautifully ornate veranda wraps around the front of the house, studded with trefoil cutouts and with handsome turned posts. From the timber front door is a small porch, which gives way to a parquet-lined hallway with original cast-iron radiators, picture rails and cornicing.



From here, the well-proportioned principal rooms unfold with an understated sense of grandeur. At the front is a living room, arranged around an original wood-burning fireplace and with French doors and windows that face out to sea. The adjacent dining room shares similarly serene views, with a bay window, another fireplace with timber surround, and ornate detailing like cornicing and ceiling rose. A third reception room with a marvellous turreted window sits to the side.



From a secondary hall is the kitchen, a large, traditionally styled room with a distinct rustic charm. It has twin butler sinks, an Aga, a walk-in pantry and a generous supply of farmhouse-style cabinetry. Red and yellow tiles run underfoot, while white tiles wrap the walls with a pearlescent quality that catches the light.



A sense of scale prevails upstairs, accessed via a handsome original staircase. The principal bedroom is especially generous and refined, with warm-toned walls, crisp white woodwork, and a luxurious en suite bathroom, fitted with a roll-top bath and a period cast-iron fireplace.



There are a further two bedrooms on this floor, both at the front of the house and with spectacular sea views. There is also a study on this floor. Upstairs are a further four bedrooms: one has a bay window, and another has a bay window set within the turreted projection. Cast-iron fireplaces remain in many of the bedrooms, and several have built-in storage.



The Great Outdoors



An especially generous garden wraps around the house, receiving a beautiful day-long light. In the rear, a paved section at the front gives way to a large lawn beyond. Mature bushes and trees around the periphery create an enhanced sense of privacy.



At the foot of the garden is a timber-clad summerhouse, with bifolding doors to the garden and power points. Private and sequestered, this would make for a wonderful work-from-home space or artist’s studio.



Residents of the estate also share access to a private beach.



Out and About



In recent years, Broadstairs has enjoyed a palpable resurgence; it is now home to a thriving community of independent shops and restaurants, including seafood specialist Wyatt & Jones and The Funicular Coffee Shop, which is built into the old ticket office of a long-decommissioned clifftop funicular. The old town itself remains a haven of antique shops, cafes and traditional Kentish pubs. Morelli’s ice-cream parlour is a wonderfully over-the-top establishment on the seafront.



Artsy Margate is close by and is home to the fantastic Turner Contemporary gallery, along with Carl Freedman and the Tracy Emin Foundation. There are some wonderful spots for sea-dippers, like the Walpole Tidal Pool and the Dulcie Community Sauna. Dory, Sargasso and Forts come recommended for meals big and small.



Much-loved Whitstable and Ramsgate are also within easy reach, as is historic Canterbury. Broadstairs has a mainline railway station providing services to London St Pancras in approximately an hour and 20 minutes, and there are good road links to London and the rest of Kent via the motorway network. There is also easy access to the Eurostar from nearby Folkestone.