Guide Price £490,000 - £500,000

Brimming with character, this sunny retreat has three/four double bedrooms and its inviting walled garden is unusually large and stylishly landscaped for an al fresco lifestyle. Tucked away in a quiet street surrounded by a choice of good primary schools and child friendly parks all within walking distance this pretty, period terrace runs off Elm Grove which connects you to the South Downs in 2 minutes or city centre at the Level in 3 - and the sea is only a 5 minute drive. Three bright and cheerful storeys provide plenty of space to share and options for working from home, and the reception with a working fire has provided flexible accommodation from grown up living room to teenage bedroom. Running across the back of the house, a family/dining room opens to the quiet suntrap and the separate kitchen is user friendly and planned for efficiency. Known for its quiet convenience, Elm Grove attracts professionals, families and investors who want a healthy lifestyle, peaceful nights but swift access to the city, the station and airports as well as our major employers with Brighton General 4 minutes stroll and both the County Hospital & Amex 4- 6 minutes by car or 20-25 on foot.

Guide Price £490,000 - £500,000

Elm Grove is known for its friendly community and plentiful permit parking – with no list- and in a good school catchment area with easy access to The Patch, The Level and Queen’s Park once discovered people tend to stay, so homes do not appear for sale often. On the market for the first time in 22 years, this Victorian, family home is set back from the quiet street behind a spacious garden with a sunny spot for seating, and diamond drop double glazing in the windows make it a home for all seasons.

Inside, this house is far bigger than its neat exterior would suggest and inside family friendly wood flooring features throughout the main rooms to allow guests and children free reign. The welcoming hallway has painted panelling and at the front, an elegant room of classic proportion is currently a comfortable bedroom, ideal for family, visitors or if you want to share as they can come and go without disturbing the main house, and it has a low level old school radiator beneath a broad window which almost reaches the ceiling – which is high.

Next door, so these two ground floor rooms could become one as some neighbours have done, the family room has space for sofas and a table where guests can dine enjoying the views of the garden through French doors. A deep under stair cupboard and shelving keep the area fuss free and at the far end, lined with windows to bring the outside in, the kitchen is a study of perfect planning. With ample storage and wooden work surfaces everything is to hand from the integrated gas hob and electric oven, plumbing is in place for a washing machine and there is a designated area for a tall fridge freezer – and extending alongside the side return, it provides food for thought…

Outside, facing east but open to the south, the sunny garden is one of the largest in the terrace and backs on to a metal spray works which is only open Monday – Friday until 3pm, which makes it one of the quietest, too! Paved for ease of maintenance as well as for sophisticated, al fresco entertaining it is both child and pet secure, and on one of Brighton’s famous hills it is also made private by the natural cadence of the gardens to each side, one higher, the other lower. Just two steps up from the L shaped return, it is an oasis of calm to enjoy which gets the sun for most of the day as no houses block the light from either side or behind.

Returning inside, at the top of the stairs the family bathroom is light, airy and refreshingly practical with a shower above the shaped bath and non-slip floor chosen to match the stylish mosaic wall tiles. On the first floor, the high ceilings continue and at the back of the house, a double bedroom has space, grace and garden views – so it is not directly overlooked. At the front, the second/third restful bedroom spans the width of this Tardis like building with a triple window to frame the quiet street and has a fitted storage system where you could reinstate sliding doors if you wanted to. Extended up in 2003 and peaceful at the top of the house, the principal bedroom spreads its wings from east to west with windows at each end to bring in the Sussex sunshine and plenty of floorspace to play with, even with a large double bed in situ.

Council Tax Band: C
EPC Rating: C
Tenure: Freehold

Agent says:

“People are beginning to realise that as well as being sought after for its community feel, Elm Grove provides spacious homes with generous gardens in a quiet area, even though you’re just a few minutes from the city.”

Owner’s secret:

“We fell in love with this house the moment we walked in as it was sunny with lots of space for us to grow into as a family. It has a very friendly feel inside and we have had many happy times in the garden, which becomes an extension of the house during summer. Even though the location is so convenient it is quiet, safe and easy to park here, and as all of the primary schools and a secret park which is full of local families is nearby (The Patch), this street has a real community.”

What’s around you:

Shops: Local 5 to walk, Lewes Road 2 to drive, 15 to walk

Station: Brighton 10 to drive, 20 minutes by bus

Seafront or Park: The Patch 3 to drive, seafront 5

Closest Schools:

Primary: St Martin’s C of E, Elm Grove, Fairlight

Secondary: Varndean, Dorothy Stringer

Private: Brighton College, Brighton & Hove High, Brighton Waldorf

Ideal for commuters as the station serving Gatwick and London is easy to reach, this bright home is in a popular part of this coastal city stretching from the vibrant shopping and arts venues of Lewes Road to Brighton Hospital, our glamorous horseracing and access to the Downs – so there’s a lot to explore! There are plenty of local cafés, shops and bistro pubs to choose from, local primary schools are good and within walking distance, and ‘The Patch’ park is a social hub. You can picnic on the beaches of Kemptown, which has its own eclectic character and collection of amenities on offer or in Queen’s Park, which has tennis courts, a pond, and café, and you can access everything this coastal city has to offer – including the universities- on foot, by bus or by cab.