Deceptively spacious with a wealth of original period features, this substantial four-bedroom Edwardian house sits on a wide tree-lined avenue in West Hove. Brimming with character, it offers two floors of generous and versatile living spaces to cater for any growing family. While it has been expertly maintained over the years, there remains plenty of scope for further modernisation and extension to add value in such a sought-after location. Indeed, there is planning for a loft extension in place and the side return is undeveloped which would add to the foot print without compromising on the garden.

Portslade Station is an easy walk for the London commute, and the A23/A27 are easily accessible by car. The vibrant social centre of Hove and the beach can be found just a stroll away, while for families, the local schools are exemplary, and there are several parks nearby, making this a hugely desirable property for many.

Style: semi-detached Edwardian house
Type: 4 double bedrooms, 1 bathroom + WC, 2 reception rooms, 1 kitchen dining room
Location: West Hove/New Church Road
Outside: rear garden and south facing balcony
Parking: off-street parking for 1 car or permit zone L
Tenure: Freehold
Coundil tax band: E

Why you’ll like it:
Set back from the road behind a neat brick and shingle parking bay edged with scented plants, this substantial family home is quintessential for the period with canted bay windows and decorative architectural features picked out in white against a red brick façade.
The original front door opens first to a useful vestibule for hanging coats, then stepping into the hallway, the scale of the house becomes apparent. The ceilings are high and there are many original features to include dado rails with anaglypta wallpapers below, stained glass windows and the original decorative cornicing and corbels high above your head. Soft fawn carpet and calico cream walls ensure it is a blank canvas for the next owner, so it is a house you can move straight into, while it also holds a huge amount of potential for modernisation.
The sitting room is first to the left. This elegant room feels exceptionally spacious with ample room for comfortable furnishings, and it is naturally light due to a wide bay window almost covering the southerly wall. During winter, a wood burning stove warms the space perfectly, and the sash windows have secondary glazing for both sound and heat insulation.

Next door, the second reception room mirrors the first but has garden views and access via tall French doors. This versatile room could have any number of uses as a formal dining room, work space, music/reading room or a fifth bedroom perhaps. It is also ideal for families with older children who like to socialise independently on occasion, or for families with young children requiring a play room. Original features can be found in both rooms, including cornicing, deep skirting and stripped pine doors.
Along the hall, passing deep under stairs storage, the kitchen is another generous room with rustic timber cabinetry providing a wealth of storage solutions. While the oven, gas hob and fridge freezer are integrated, space has been left for a washing machine and a dishwasher, and there is additional space for a kitchen table by the west-facing window.

Passing a useful ground floor WC – an essential in any shared space, a second door opens to the garden. Directly outside, a unique canopy has been created using ironwork salvaged from a Victorian station, so there is cover should the weather become inclement when dining on the patio. The rest of the garden is set to lawn with well-established borders including bamboos and palm trees bringing year-round colour and shape to the space. While it technically faces north, it is open to the east and west, so it is drenched in sunlight from 11am every day until it sets. There is also a water-saving rainwater tank fed from the pipework on the house, plus a shed at the far end for garden storage.

Returning inside and taking the stairs to the first floor, there are further plasterwork corbels and original features which have been retained in every room to include cast iron fireplaces. The upper corridor stretches back through the house from the top of the stairs with bedrooms three and four sitting alongside the bathroom. Bedroom three at the far end is a lovely double room with garden views, while bedroom four is slightly smaller and ideal as a utility room or home office as it is peaceful and has a water supply with a basin fitted. It would also be possible to extend the bathroom into this room, depending on need.

Next door, the bathroom is classic in white with wooden accessories and has both a traditional shower attachment and an electric shower over the bath.
Bedroom two has a high ceiling and an original fireplace alongside a traditional wardrobe built-in to the alcove. The master bedroom spans the front of the house, so it is bathed in sunlight and has access to the south facing balcony. Even with a king size bed and several pieces of bedroom furniture, the floor space is not compromised, so it would be possible to reconfigure in here too to create an en suite bathroom or fifth bedroom.
From the landing, a hatch opens to the vast loft space which has already been boarded and insulated and has two Velux windows. Planning has been granted to create a large master bedroom suite up here which would be hugely impressive and would enjoy sea views from its elevated position within the house – all food for thought!

Agent’s thoughts:
The beautiful features and incredible proportions impress from the moment you step through the door. This is a beautiful home which is also brimming with potential to add value or simply to put your own stamp on the place, so it is sure to attract the attentions of many.

Owner’s secret
“It was the space and light which first attracted me to this house and it has been a really comfortable home to live in over the years. It is incredibly peaceful for somewhere so close to the city and it is hugely convenient with the station and shops nearby – yet they do not impose on the beauty of the area. This would be the ideal house for families as the beach, lagoon and park are close by – I simply no longer need so much space, but it will be a wrench to leave after so long.”

Where it is
Shops: Local 5 min walk, city centre 10 min bus ride
Station: Portslade Station 5 min walk
Seafront or Park: Wish Park 3 min walk, and seafront 5 min walk
Closest Schools:
Primary: West Hove Primary, At. Andrew’s CofE
Secondary: Hove Park, Blatchington Mill, Cardinal Newman RC
Private: Brighton College, St Christopher’s School

This is a sun-filled and characterful home in a popular location which is well served for shops, the beach, parks and schools. There are plenty of local green spaces, and great transport links, but you are also only a short walk from everything this vibrant coastal city has to offer. The A23 and Portslade Station are also within easy reach, for those requiring fast links to the universities, Gatwick or London on a daily or weekly basis.