Camellia Cottage, Chillies Lane, High Hurstwood, Buxted, East Sussex

Camellia Cottage feels like it’s been lifted out of the pages of an interior design magazine. This charming detached cottage has been fully renovated, preserving its character while turning it into a cosy, warm and high-tech home perfect for modern-day living. Every little detail has been carefully considered to create this idyllic dream home.

- 2 bedrooms
- Annexe potential
- Garden
- Carport and garage
- Gated driveway
- Rural village location

If you’ve been looking for a beautiful detached cottage that’s full of character and ready to move into, this could be the one. The current owners have spent years renovating this property, completely redesigning the layout to work better for modern living. They have kept all the charm of a cottage with old beams and period detailing – from the taps and wall lamps to custom-made cottage doors – but created a high-tech home with Hue light switches and double glazing to keep it toasty and warm.

The location and history

Camellia Cottage is unlisted and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is believed the oak-framed section of the cottage dates back to the 1600s, with the stone-built part of the property built in the 1800s. There are two spacious double bedrooms, plus scope in the attic for another room, subject to planning permission. The space over the triple car barn is great for storage, an office or a gym; or you could turn it into a separate annexe with a bedroom, lounge and shower room, subject to planning consent.

The cottage is tucked away off Chillies Lane in the village of High Hurstwood, which has a modern village hall, primary school, and a fantastic country pub called The Hurstwood. The summer fete and fireworks nights are always a village highlight.

A character cottage with heart

Make your way through the garden arch and you’ll be greeted with the wisteria-draped front of the cottage, where roses climb up the stonework and a patio area reveals itself for summer barbecues with friends and family. Step through the stable door and into the hall, the thick cream wool carpets soft underfoot. The home uses a soft palette of creams and greens, with light flooding through the windows.

The lounge has two distinct seating areas, wooden beams overhead and a log burner tucked into an inglenook ready for cosy winter evenings. The dining area has a higher ceiling and a long picture window to drink in the views of the trees outside, with double doors leading onto a second patio area, perfect for a morning coffee. This living space is practical too, with a W.C. and an understairs cupboard housing all the house tech, from the hardwired CCTV to the wifi and lighting hubs, as the house is fitted with smart bulbs.

The kitchen has a built-in fridge/freezer, modern range cooker with induction hob, and a butler sink fitted with an old-fashioned black tap. There’s plenty of shelving for recipe books, cooking bowls and country kitchen essentials. Hidden away behind two cupboard doors is a utility and boot room, where you can take care of the laundry, and kick off wellies after muddy countryside walks.

Bedrooms made for rest and relaxation

Upstairs are two good-sized double bedrooms with built-in storage to keep the aesthetic simple and beautiful. They both have bags of character, with beamed ceilings and paned windows letting the light in. The family bathroom makes clever use of space in the shower with raised head height, and there’s an elegant clawfoot bath and triangle window offering glimpses of the outside.

Garden and annexe potential

The plot stretches over 0.49 of an acre. There are multiple patio areas, a big lawn, greenhouse, shed with power and secret nooks here and there – one could be a great bar area.

A gated driveway leads to a large parking area and a three-vehicle car barn with a garage/workshop. There’s real potential above this – an open-plan space, accessed by an outdoor staircase. This is ripe for conversion into an annexe, and it has the most astounding elevated views over the surrounding countryside from the gable-end window.