1 Gable Cottages, Otham Street, Otham, Maidstone, ME15

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A period cottage with room to live the good life.

1 Gable Cottages is a semi-detached period cottage, built around 1820, set in about 0.8 acres on Otham Street. Otham is one of Kent's most quietly historic villages, among orchards, medieval hall houses and footpaths that have been walked for six hundred years, yet Maidstone, the M20 and Bearsted station, with trains to London, are only a few minutes away. Homes in the village rarely come up, so a period cottage with land is a rare opportunity.

Inside, the cottage keeps its character: beams, oak floors, period fireplaces with cast-iron inserts and two log burners. An extension in 2013 added a modern fitted kitchen, a main bedroom with en-suite shower room, and double glazing throughout. The heart of the house is the double-height dining and family room, with its log burner, underfloor heating and French doors out to the garden.

Outside is where the cottage really comes into its own. It is registered with the Rural Payments Agency as a livestock holding and is currently home to chickens, sheep and ducks. There is a paddock, lawns, terraces with views and paths winding through the grounds, plus an insulated, air-conditioned garden room that makes working from home a pleasure.

GROUND FLOOR

Entrance hall

Solid wood front door, quarry-tiled floor and two windows to the front. An oak staircase rises to the first floor with storage beneath, and oak steps lead down to the dining / family room.

Dining / family room - 4.57m x 3.51m (15ft 0in x 11ft 6in)

Double height and triple aspect, with French doors to the garden, engineered oak flooring, a log burner and electric underfloor heating. Oak steps lead up to the kitchen.

Kitchen - 4.50m x 2.29m (14ft 9in x 7ft 6in)

Modern fitted units with Slab Tech worktops, integrated dishwasher, electric oven, hob, extractor and matching microwave, with space for a washing machine and fridge-freezer. Beams, a tiled floor with electric underfloor heating, and French doors to the roof terrace.

Living room - 3.81m x 3.58m (12ft 6in x 11ft 9in)

A cosy snug with solid oak flooring and a log burner set in the chimney breast under an oak mantel, with a window to the front.

FIRST FLOOR

Main bedroom - 3.81m x 3.51m (12ft 6in x 11ft 6in)

Triple aspect, with a porthole window to the side and stripped pine floors.

En-suite shower room

Shower cubicle, vanity basin, WC and skylight.

Bedroom 2 - 3.51m x 2.90m (11ft 6in x 9ft 6in)

Period fireplace with cast-iron insert and exposed woodwork.

Bedroom 3 - 2.97m x 2.29m (9ft 9in x 7ft 6in)

Period fireplace with cast-iron insert.

Family bathroom

Period style, with a roll-top bath and oversized rainfall shower, vanity basin, heated towel rail and two skylights.

Lofts

Two lofts: the loft over the 2013 extension is boarded, and the original loft is insulated and could be boarded.

Total floor area of the house approx. 98 sq m (1,050 sq ft).

OUTSIDE

The smallholding

About 0.8 acres (subject to survey), registered with the Rural Payments Agency as a livestock holding with a County Parish Holding (CPH) number. The land is set up and proven for chickens, sheep and ducks, with a paddock, a run, a feed station and secure gates. A new owner simply registers as keeper in their own name, and we are happy to talk you through how we did it.

Garden room - 7.0m x 4.0m (22ft 11in x 13ft 1in)

Fully insulated, about 300 sq ft, with water, power and a split-system air conditioner that heats and cools, controlled by remote or app. Comfortable all year round, so it suits a home office, studio or gym. Outside WC (2.1m x 2.1m) attached.

Sheds and store

Two further sheds, one with power, racking and a workbench, making a ready-made workshop. Beneath the raised terrace is a stone-walled store (3.9m x 2.2m) with power and a window. It sits within the existing footprint of the house, so it is useful storage now, or space to convert, subject to the necessary consents.

Gardens

Lawns, terraces with views over the grounds, a seating area, and paths and steps winding down to the paddock.

Parking

A gated gravel driveway with parking for six cars and a Hypervolt Home 3 Pro EV charger with a 10m tethered cable, installed by Octopus in June 2026 with a 5-year guarantee.

Potential

With the grounds, outbuildings and village setting, there is potential for holiday let or Airbnb use, subject to planning permission.

GOOD TO KNOW

The house and garden sit on a sloping plot, with steps between the house, terraces, garden and paddock. That is what gives the cottage its views and privacy, but please look through the photos, aerial shots and floor plans before booking a viewing.

Available by separate negotiation: a further two-car parking area on its own freehold title (K528114), and the Hully Schooner pod salon building in the grounds. The salon business itself is not included.

Why we are selling: we have three children and plan to live with Karis's parents, so we need a larger, multi-generational home. A further rear extension was refused in 2023 and the appeal dismissed, so we cannot grow the house to fit us. We have loved living here and would love to hand it on to someone who will enjoy the cottage, the animals and the village as much as we have.

Please note the sale will be part of a chain, as we are buying our next home at the same time.

LOCATION

Otham is a small village on the south-east edge of Maidstone and one of the most sought-after in the area. Much of it is a conservation area, which Maidstone Borough Council describes as a 'well-preserved example of an affluent medieval village which still maintains a strong sense of identity'.

Heritage: Stoneacre, a 15th-century yeoman's house run by the National Trust, is a short walk away, and Otham Manor and Synyards, both Grade I listed, are medieval hall houses in the village. St Nicholas Church dates from the 12th century.

Village life: every Friday to Sunday the village hall becomes The Little Travelling Bean café. The village green has open space and a children's playground, there is a pre-school in the village hall, and Rumwood Cricket Club is nearby. The Potting Shed in Langley is a 20-minute walk, and The George in Leeds is a lovely 40-minute cross-country walk. Bearsted green and its shops are a few minutes' drive.

Outdoors: a 7km circular walk links Stoneacre with the Spot Lane nature reserve, and there are two published Otham heritage walks. Mote Park, Maidstone's 450-acre park with its lake, and Leeds Castle are both close by.

Transport (approximate):

- Bearsted station (Southeastern, Thameslink): about 2 miles

- Maidstone town centre: about 3 miles

- M20 junction 8: 3 to 5 minutes' drive

- Ebbsfleet International (HS1 to St Pancras in about 18 minutes): about 30 minutes' drive

- Headcorn and Marden stations (trains to London Bridge in under an hour): about 20 minutes' drive

- Gatwick Airport: about 45 miles

Direct trains run from Bearsted to London Victoria in about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Schools (approximate distances):

- Langley Park Primary Academy: about 1.5 miles

- Madginford Primary School, Bearsted: about 1.5 miles

- Leigh Academy Bearsted (primary): about 2.5 miles

- Maidstone Grammar School (boys): about 3 miles

- Maidstone Grammar School for Girls: about 3.5 miles

- Invicta Grammar (girls) and Oakwood Park Grammar (boys): about 3 to 4 miles

Kent is a selective county and grammar places follow the Kent Test. Please check catchments and Ofsted reports with each school.

Finding us: sat-navs using the postcode stop about 100m short. The what3words address is ///bikes.forgot.funds. Look for the wooden five-bar gate with the '1 Gable Cottages' sign.

MATERIAL INFORMATION

Tenure: Freehold, title absolute. Land Registry titles K525618 (cottage) and K912069 (adjoining land) are included in the sale.

Council tax: Band E, Maidstone Borough Council (£3,041.15 for 2026/27).

Property type: semi-detached period cottage, c.1820. Brick with a tiled roof, extended in 2013.

Listed building: No. Conservation area: Yes, Otham.

Services: mains electricity, mains water and mains sewer. No gas or oil.

Heating: two log burners; electric underfloor heating in the dining / family room, kitchen and bathroom; infrared heating panels in the bedrooms. Hot water from a 2018 boiler in the loft.

Broadband: full fibre (FTTP), up to 1 Gbps.

Mobile signal: limited indoors; Wi-Fi calling over the full fibre connection works well.

Parking: gated driveway for six cars with EV charger.

Flood risk: no known flood risk.

Coalfield or mining area: No.

Planning history: two-storey and single-storey side extensions permitted October 2012 (MA/12/1526), materials approved 2013 (13/0815). A further rear extension at ground and lower-ground level was refused in 2023 (23/502410/FULL) and the appeal dismissed.

Rights and easements: the cottage has rights to take electricity and drain through pipes under the neighbouring property. A neighbouring property has a right on foot over a stairway and footpaths, and to take water through a pipe, across this land. Full details are in the title register.

Restrictions: a 1940 conveyance of the adjoining land says it carries no right to light or air that would prevent the neighbouring land being built on or used.

EPC: rated E (40), potential D (61); environmental impact rating B. The home is all-electric, which keeps carbon low but scores lower under the EPC running-cost method.

These particulars are a guide and do not form part of any contract. Measurements and distances are approximate. Buyers should rely on their own survey and their solicitor's enquiries.