5 bedroom detached house for sale

Charming and beautifully presented former lodge house with landscaped garden and ancient bluebell woodland.

Description

Shortbridge Lodge is a delightful late Victorian former lodge house, believed to date from about 1850 with later additions. The property has classic red brick elevations under a tiled roof, and a substantial rear extension with wood cladding; it is beautifully presented, with well-proportioned light rooms, stripped wood flooring and stylish décor.

The house offers plenty of space for family life, and has a pleasing and versatile layout. The hall opens to the snug, which has a bay window with a fitted seat, and a wood burning stove.

The snug leads to the rear hallway, which has space for a desk and chair; there is a separate study, which is fitted with bespoke cupboards and could be used a playroom.

In the centre of the house is the superb sitting room, a spacious yet comfortable room with a wood burning stove. It is open to the kitchen/dining room, a contemporary, triple aspect room with two sets of French doors to the terrace. It is well-equipped with a good range of wall-hung and undercounter units, with Corian worktops; there is a central island with a Neff induction hob with extractor over and integrated microwave and double oven.

To the rear of the kitchen is a utility room; a cloakroom lying off the entrance hall completes the ground floor.

On the first floor, the impressive principal suite has a vaulted ceiling and tall doors opening to Juliet balconies, framing the views over the gardens and grounds to the ancient woodland beyond. It has a modern en suite with a walk in shower. Bedroom two has an en suite shower; there are three further bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Outside
Shortbridge Lodge is set back behind laurel hedging, and approached via a gravelled driveway, which opens to offer a parking area in front of the house, and leads on to the static caravan “Westmoreland”, which shares services with the main house, the double garage with attached log store, and the greenhouse. The greenhouse has PV solar panels which generate c.£1000 pa under a feed-in tariff scheme. There are two timber storage sheds.

The formal gardens lie mainly to the east and south. There is a spacious brick paved terrace to the rear of the kitchen, with a built-in barbecue area and plenty of space for table and chairs; steps lead up to the lawns, which are flanked by well-stocked beds planted with a variety of flowers and shrubs.

The driveway leads up to a track through the beautiful bluebell coppice wood, where there are two ponds. In all, about 7.7 acres.

Location

Situated in the rural hamlet of Shortbridge, to the south of Piltdown, close to Ashdown Forest and the South Downs National Park. Shortbridge has a popular public house, Piltdown has a garage with a shop and a golf course. Uckfield is within a couple of miles and is a bustling former market town offering a railway station, leisure centre, a number of high street and independent shops, various cafes and restaurants, two supermarkets and an independent cinema.

Sussex offers many leisure activities locally including golf at East Sussex National, Mid Sussex, Pyecombe and Lindfield clubs, tennis clubs including Wickwoods Country Club, Haywards Heath and Lindfield, sailing at Brighton Marina, and a variety of local and county athletics, cricket, rugby and football clubs to suit all ages and abilities. Racing is available at Plumpton, Lingfield and Goodwood, with show jumping at Hickstead. There are miles of footpaths and bridleways across the surrounding countryside, the South Downs Nation Park and Ashdown Forest. Spa and country house hotels include South Lodge, Ockenden Manor, and Alexander House. Sussex offers a vibrant cultural scene, with world-class opera at Glyndebourne, and the annual Brighton Festival presenting a huge programme of theatre, dance, classical music and literary events.

Haywards Heath offers a fast service to London Bridge and London Victoria, journey time from 41 minutes. The A23/M23 lies to the west, giving access to Gatwick airport, the south coast and the M25.
There are many highly regarded state and private schools in the local area including Cumnor House, Handcross Park, Great Walstead School, Burgess Hill Girls, Lewes Old Grammar and Ardingly, Hurst and Brighton Colleges.

All distances and journey times are approximate.

Square Footage: 2,213 sq ft


Acreage: 7.7 Acres

Directions

From the A272 at Piltdown, take Shortbridge Lane south. After about one mile, pass The Peacock Inn on the right; at the next junction bear left and the entrance to Shortbridge Lodge is immediately on the left.

Additional Info

Agent’s Note: The fridge/freezer, dishwasher and swimming pool are not included but may be available by separate negotiation.

Services: Biomass dual-fuel fired central heating. Solar panel (over utility room) for hot water (backed up by biomass). Mains electricity and water. Private drainage. The caravan shares these services.

Outgoings: Wealden District Council. Council tax band D. Static caravan band A.

Photographs taken: April 2024

Tenure: Freehold

EPC rating: E

Cladding: This property may have cladding. The property is under six floors so any cladding may not have been tested. Purchasers should make enquiries about the external wall system of the property, if it has cladding and if it is safe or if there are interim measures in place.