This seven-bedroom mansion on the South Coast used to be a country club – and there are plenty of reminders of its original purpose.
Prinsted House has an enviable position set in seven acres in West Sussex with sweeping views of the sea.
The property boasts an indoor heated swimming pool, games room, sauna, south-facing balconies and even a squash court.
Originally built as a country club in the 1970s, Prinsted House was converted to residential use the following decade before the present owners remodelled it having bought the property in 2006.
The head of the family moved in with his wife and three sons while year-long renovations were being carried out.
His aim was to improve the ‘flow’ from room to room to turn what felt like a distinctly 1970s country club into what is now an opulent family home.
The 65-year-old said: “It was originally meant to be the clubhouse for a golf course which never got built so it became a country club.
“We completely rebuilt the house, bringing a lot of light into it by adding skylights throughout.
“It’s really light and airy, like bringing the outdoors indoors. What I really like is waking up and looking out to the sea, there are great views towards Chichester Harbour.”
The principal bedroom has its own entrance hall and is 22 feet long, with picture windows opening onto a generous balcony and stunning panoramic harbour views to the south east.
The guest suite faces west and has its own dressing room and shower room en-suite.
A family bathroom serves bedrooms three, four and five. The fifth bedroom, with its impressive water views, also makes an ideal home office.
The gardens and grounds total around seven acres, accessed via doors from the main reception rooms and pool/recreation area which open onto a walled terrace with hedging and olive trees.
There is a wide expanse of croquet lawn, further lawns and areas of wild grass. The lawns and kitchen garden are irrigated by an underground bore hole system.
An avenue of trees line a walkway which runs the length of the gardens down to the towpath and harbour’s edge, where the property benefits from a private mooring.
To the far end of the field, the owner and his sons planted what are now mature poplar trees to protect the garden from the sea breeze and on the southern tip of the property they further planted a now well-established orchard.
An enclosed area that is home to chickens and ducks was once a tennis court and could easily be returned to that use. There is space here for one or more boats to moor.
To the west, a sheltered area of walled garden adjacent to the kitchen/dining/family room has a covered terrace and sitting area with raised planters, making an ideal area for outside entertaining.
The owner said: “The gardens we did ourselves – we turned overgrown fields into seven acres of planned land, as well as planting thousands of trees.
“One of the best aspects of the house is that we are right by Thornham Marina and from there we can go by boat to East Head and West Wittering.
“We just jump on, zoom down and we are there in about half an hour with no traffic of course, which is preferable to sitting in a car.
“The position of the house is absolutely outstanding – there are few places on the South Coast in Sussex and Hampshire where you’ve seven acres right on the water and we are very private where we are as well.”
On the ground floor, Prinsted House boasts a spacious reception hall with entertaining area and bar, which opens onto two reception rooms, one more than 30 feet in length, both with picture doors opening onto a south east facing terrace looking out over the gardens and grounds.
The kitchen/dining/family room has a range of matching cupboards and drawers with polished granite work surfaces, an extensive range of integrated appliances, walk-in larder and four oven Aga-style range with two hot plates and warming plate.
A vaulted lantern light with skylights ensures plenty of natural light and the adjacent dining area has double doors opening onto a sheltered west facing garden with covered sitting area, terrace and raised planters stocked with herbs.
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The indoor pool is some 36 feet long with a power operated insulated cover and is heated by solar panels and an air heat recovery system, which dehumidifies the room and pumps the excess heat back into the pool.
The adjacent hallway is lit by two skylights and leads to bedrooms six and seven, each sharing a shower room en-suite. Beyond lies an integral double garage and 32 foot long former squash court.
A secondary entrance on the west side of the property provides further vehicle access to additional parking, a seven car plus garage and oak framed bespoke tractor shed.
A small area of additional land, approximately a 1/4 acre, on the other side of the lane also belongs to Prinsted House and includes a large boat/storage shed.
To the east of the entrance lies a screened area of kitchen garden, with stone shingled pathways leading to a series of raised beds and a large greenhouse. This supplies a wide variety of vegetables and soft fruits.
Vikki Bennett, spokesperson for OnTheMarket, said: “Houses with as much to offer as this one don’t come up very often.
“The grounds are large and picturesque and the house benefits from countryside as well as sea views. It’s a dream property.”
Mark Astley, Director of Jackson-Stops in Chichester & Arundel, said: “There are so many pluses to this amazing property it’s hard to list them all.
“The owners have done a great job creating a really spacious and light-filled family home with amazing facilities – then there’s the position of the house and the grounds.
“I doubt you’d ever get bored with that sea view and it’s just a short hop to some of the best beaches in the country at the Witterings.
“Prinsted House in one word? Unforgettable.”
Prinsted House takes its name from the adjacent village, popular and very pretty, which can be walked to in only a few minutes either down the quiet lane or round by the coastal path that the garden accesses.
There is the ancient woodland of Kingly Vale nearby and the house sits immediately adjoining a spit of land known as Thorney Island, which is currently a military base but hardly used with a 10km stretch of coastal path running around the whole of the outside.
In addition to Thornham Marina, the sailing clubs at Emsworth and Bosham are easily accessible.
Havant and Chichester provide services to London Waterloo in 1 hour 20 minutes, or London Victoria in 1 hour 40 minutes. There are also easy road links to the A3 to London.
There are several golf courses, the nearest being at Rowlands Castle. Horse racing can be found at both Goodwood and Fontwell Park.
To the north, the South Downs National Park is criss-crossed with many bridle paths and footpaths, ideal for walking, mountain-biking or riding.
Goodwood is an international attraction known for its horse racing and the annual Festival of Speed and Revival at its historic motor circuit. There is also a private airfield for the use of light aircraft.
