GUIDE PRICE: £625,000--£650,000.

INTERNAL VIEWINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

Linking Preston Drove and its famous Park to Fiveways Village, each given a top spot in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide, this tranquil terrace of elegant period houses is a special one. With four bedrooms and fuss free, spacious rooms for contemporary living, this tranquil family house has an eco-friendly southeast garden with raised beds by the house for herbs and a lawn for play, raised to catch the sun. Child and pet friendly shops, cafés and Blakers Park are also around the corner, and within 5 minutes of good primary, senior schools and a sixth form college, it’s ideal for regular access to Gatwick or London as direct trains from Preston Park Station are 5 minutes by cab – or about 20 on foot.

Three easy-flow storeys offer 1290 sq. ft (119.8m2) of light, quiet rooms including a bedroom, used as a home office which has a bridge to the lawn for when work is done. An open ground floor delivers a sociable lifestyle where the kitchen/breakfast room is a classic which won’t date and opens to the garden. There’s a luxury bathroom upstairs with a separate w.c., and all four bedrooms are comfortable doubles – the principal at the top with plenty of storage and a chic en-suite.

Style Late Victorian/Edwardian terraced house circa 1898-1914
Type 4 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en-suite), separate w.c., living dining room, kitchen/breakfast room
Area Fiveways/Preston Park border
Floor Area 1290 sq.ft.
Outside Space Organic front garden, raised southeast eco-friendly, organic back garden
Parking Permit Zone F
Council Tax Band D

Why you’ll like it:
Tucked away on a friendly street with access to Balfour Primary School and Dorothy Stringer Secondary School off a parallel street and popular Varndean High a 10 minute stroll, this box bay fronted beauty with double glazing already installed has steps rising past a pretty front garden to a sheltering porch – and it is worth noting that communal, secure bike stores are arriving in the autumn. In a quiet but convenient location with plentiful permit parking and grocers, cafes and bistro pubs around the corner, this is a popular area of the city with bus routes into or out of Brighton giving older children some independence, and there’s a choice between Preston Park and Brighton Stations, both with direct access to Gatwick and London whilst London Road Station (6 mins away) serves Falmer and Lewes.

Inside, a hushed hallway is comfortable and leads into an inviting ground floor which has been opened up to create a light and airy space to enjoy with friends and family. A double depth living dining room stretches 27’0 (8.23m) from front to back, so there is versatile space in which to work rest or play, and there’s a double, deep cupboard to keep the room tidy if you wanted to use what is currently a music room as a play area. The attractive box bay almost fills the front wall, there’s a feature brick fireplace for character and an arch leads through to the kitchen breakfast room where there’s a space for a large family table beneath a skylight and by the French doors to the garden.

Designed for every day as well as for entertaining, the kitchen is a modern classic with ample storage and family friendly solid wood surfaces for budding cooks. The tiles underfoot have a Mediterranean flavour – as do the raised herb beds by the French doors and beneath the window, and it is thoughtfully planned with everything to hand from a central gas hob and electric oven beneath a hood. There are both an integrated fridge and freezer and plumbing is in place for a washing machine and there is a designated space for a dryer.

Outside, the raised garden (Brighton is built on hills!) is an ecological sanctuary, scented by roses and carefully tended to provide organic herbs, vegetables and fruit for the table as well as sustenance for butterflies and honeybees. Pet secure behind brick walls, it is a private retreat with a level lawn larger than many this close to the city and the sea, and open to the south, so there is a spot where you can sit in the Sussex sun for most of the day. Surrounded by gardens it is remarkably quiet and there’s space at the end for a discreet shed– or if you peek over to next door, they have a timber cabin….

Returning inside, all about relaxing in a quiet, verdant setting, the first of the double bedrooms has a glazed door to frame the verdant garden so you can enjoy the view even from bed – or whilst at a desk, as this room works well as a home office- and it opens to an ingenious iron bridge so you can step out to the garden when work is done, and there is a bonus of a w.c. just next door.

The subtle commitment to good design and family comfort continues on the first floor where two more bedrooms, one at the back and the other at the front, are of pretty equal size, which should minimize any ‘lively discussions’ re allocation, and there is a modern bathroom on this level where a luxury corner bath has a seat and a Triton T80 shower above it, so water pressure shouldn’t be an issue either.

Peacefully secluded at the top of the house, the fourth, principal bedroom spans the house from east to west with a generous 15’9 x 9’8 (4.79m x 2.95) in which to unwind and organised storage both within the room and on the landing outside. With a large Velux in the western roofline and statuesque picture window looking over a sea of gardens for the morning light, it is a restful refuge with a chic en-suite shower room, which is also completely private.

Agent’s thoughts:
“Families stay in this popular location until their children have grown up and moved on, which makes homes in these quiet terraces unusually close to primary and secondary schools as well as sixth form colleges difficult to find, and this bright, feel-good house is good to go with a sociable layout and special garden.”

Owner’s secret:
“We were drawn to the area because family life would be easy with parks, good schools and friendly shops and cafés all within easy reach and we found that with both the primary school, secondary school and 6th forms all close by (within walking distance!) there’s a great community in the surrounding streets. Inside, we fell in love with the big, bright rooms and easy flow of the house which ensured we made the most of the sunny garden which we love! We had fun adjusting our happy home as our children grew, and then grew up, and I hope you enjoy these relaxed, sunny rooms as much as we have. Although the terrace is quiet it is convenient for the city and the station with buses into Brighton and its beaches or out to the South Downs National Park.”

Where it is
Shops: Local 2 mins, Fiveways Village 3 mins car, 10 on foot, Preston Village and small Sainsbury’s 4 mins
Train Station: Preston Park Station 5 mins by cab
Seafront or Park: Preston Park 3 mins by car, 5-8 on foot, sea about 10 by car
Closest schools:
Primary: Balfour
Secondary: Dorothy Stringer, Varndean
Sixth Form: Varndean 6th Form, BHASVIV, Newman, MET
Private: Brighton College, Brighton & Hove High, Lancing

The station to Gatwick and London is a 5 minute drive – or 15-20 to walk and this sought after location is known for its friendly cafés, bistro pubs and small shops which include little supermarkets. Surrounded by parks (Preston Park, Blakers Park and Hollingbury Park) which have playgrounds, cafes and sports facilities it will be easy to meet people – and parks here host local sports clubs and fun runs as well as events during our famous festivals, too. Local schools are good and within walking distance and the National Park bordered by beaches is just a short drive. Vibrant arts venues, restaurants and shopping of the city are all quick to get to by bus or by cab and for those with a car, there’s swift access to the A23/A27 and Zone F has no waiting list at this time.