GUIDE PRICE: £375,000 - £400,000.

INTERNAL VIEWINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

5 minutes from the city centre, this bright and cheerful 3 bedroom house with a pretty garden at the front and an unusually large west facing garden at the back is an ideal family home or investment with ample free parking (although many neighbours have sacrificed their front gardens to create off street space). On a quiet road in popular Hollingdean life is made simple: There’s a local high street with everything you need, a popular primary is a 5 minute walk, whilst secondary schools and parks with playgrounds are all within an 8 min radius, and the Royal Sussex Hospital (two blocks from the sea) is just 12 mins by car. On the market for the first time in 62 years, inside has kept up with the times as the stylish living/dining room opens to the sunny garden during summer and has a sleek Dimplex fire to unwind by in winter. The contemporary kitchen has a practical layout, and there’s a separate utility area with access to outside. Upstairs, three inviting bedrooms are all private, and the chic shower room is also good to go.

In a quiet residential enclave surrounded by green spaces which also host events during our legendary festivals, homes here do not come onto the market often- and sell fast as professionals, families and investors are beginning to realise that this area has spacious houses, large gardens and easy parking with swift access to the city centre: Ditchling Road, just around the corner, takes you to the historic heart of Brighton and its beaches or to the National Park, whilst Lewes Road at the bottom of the hill delivers you to the city centre, universities or coast along the A27 or to the A23 for the motorway.

Style Mid-terrace modern house
Type 3 bedrooms: 2 double 1 generous single, bathroom, living dining room, kitchen, utility
Area Hollingdean
Floor Area 878 sq.ft.
Outside Space Unusually large west garden at the back, front garden
Parking Free on street
Council Tax Band C

Why you’ll like it:
Making the most of its elevated position for light and sweeping views front and back, this modern house with double glazing has friendly shops around the corner. In an easy going, unpretentious area with a healthy mix of private and authority run homes, new cafes and bars are popping up along London Road (a 10 minute walk) following the re-opening of the universities whilst the café culture of Fiveways, at the top of the hill, has been given a top spot in The Sunday Times Best Places To Live Guide. Close to popular schools and Hollingdean Skatepark which leads to Hollingbury Park’s countryside walks and has a playground, café and a golf course, this area has always been favoured by locals seeking a foot on the ladder, and investors are now also noticing that it is well-connected with spacious homes and gardens, plentiful parking, buses serving every part of the city as well as Sussex University, and the famous historic Lanes under 10 minutes by cab.

Set privately back from the street behind a pretty, gated front garden the approach is appealing and inside, an inner lobby has people and pet friendly rush matting underfoot. Ahead, an elegant living room has good grade oak flooring, and it is full of sunshine with broad French doors opening to a fabulous, paved terrace and rose scented, leafy garden. All about enjoying friends and family with ample space for sofas by the flame effect fire, there is space for a large table in the private dining area, which runs along the back of the building, with a door on one side to the kitchen and on the other to the garden.

Bright and cheerful, the kitchen is practical for every day but also great for parties with a skilled layout which flows well with everything to hand from the gas hob beneath a lit hood. The oven and grill are in a tower to prevent awkward lifting, there is designated space and power for an undercounter fridge and freezer, and discreetly tucked away, a deep cupboard keeps surfaces uncluttered and there is a separate utility area too, with a door to the garden.

Outside, the garden is a rare, west facing sun trap and possibly the biggest one in the street! Level with the house, a feature hard to find in a city built on hills, a large, paved terrace is ideal for a fabulous, al fresco lifestyle as well as celebrations, and it is large enough for several table and chairs where you can enjoy a glass of wine - and the sunsets - when work is done. A tranquil refuge surrounded by other gardens it is child and pet secure, scented by borders which are also planted with consideration for bees and butterflies, and made private by fencing and mature hedging. Beautifully landscaped for the family by the family, a second circular seating area steps down to the fruit and vegetable garden complete with a shed and greenhouse where you’ll find an abundance of blossom in the spring and plums during summer, and at the very far end a wildlife garden is a safe haven for birds.

Returning inside, at the top of the stairs, the airy shower room has a Triton Enrich shower, so water pressure shouldn’t be an issue, there is a sleek vanity beneath the hand basin, natural light and a non-slip floor! At the front of the house, the first bedroom is a generous single with calm decoration and is used as a home office. At the back, the second bedroom is a double with a picture perfect view sweeping over gardens. Also with glorious, open views over a sea of gardens, the principal bedroom is blissfully quiet as well as completely private.

Agent says:
“If you are looking for sociable space, unusually big garden and easy parking in a connected location but also want peaceful nights, this stylish house, on the market for the first time in 62 years has been sensitively improved over the years and delivers on all fronts.”

Owner’s secret:
“The free parking is a real bonus as we don’t need to worry if we take the car to the beach or go away on holiday. Inside, all the rooms are light as you are above the valley and the layout is easy to live in as well as ideal for entertaining. The garden is big and gets the sun almost all day, and we have enjoyed many happy celebrations there as well as the fiery sunsets. We chose the house because of all the space inside and out, as we moved here when my son was 7 months old, and we stayed as family life was easy with parks and good schools nearby. The location has remained ideal now we are older as we can just walk to the local convenience store for milk, stroll to Fiveways for fresh local produce or walk/bus down to the Sainsbury’s at the bottom of the hill. Although it is very quiet here, you are close to the city centre and you don’t always need to use the car as you can walk to bars and restaurants or Moulsecoomb Station, and buses run into or out of the city, which also gives our teenagers some independence, too.”

Where it is:
Shops: Local 1 mins, 5 on foot, Lewes Road 3 mins by car, 15 walk,
Station: Preston Park 7 by cab, Moulsecoomb (for Falmer or Lewes) 15 on foot, Brighton 10-15 minute drive
Seafront or Park: Seafront 10-15 mins drive, Hollingdean Skatepark (leads to Hollingbury Park & Woods) 2 mins, Blakers Park 4, Preston Park 5
Closest schools:
Primary: Hertford Infant, Hertford Junior, St Joseph’s R.C., The Downs
Secondary: Dorothy Stringer, Varndean
Sixth form: Varndean, MET
Private: Brighton College, The Steiner School, Roedean, Brighton & Hove High

Only minutes from country walks, the seafront, a golf course and a choice of three parks, all with playgrounds and cafes full of families there are local shops to pop into and Fiveways’ cafés, bakers and independent stores nearby. The international restaurants of central Brighton and the vibrant al fresco lifestyle of the North Laine are just a short drive. The whole of our intercontinental coastal resort is easy to reach with regular buses which take you out of the city to the universities and National Park, or to the sea and central Brighton with its station and direct trains to Gatwick and Brighton.