7 bedroom detached house for sale

18th Century country house with Victorian and Edwardian additions nestled in the South Downs.

Description

From the original 18th century core, Punchbowl has substantial Victorian and later additions, and was completely refurbished and further extended by the present owners, resulting in today’s supremely comfortable family home. Contemporary features include underfloor heating fed by a ground source heating system, built in home cinema and speaker system.

From the spacious entrance hall with its lovely sweeping staircase, the formal sitting room lies to the right and features full height bay windows looking out onto a parterre and the garden and countryside beyond, original parquet floor, a stone fireplace and beautiful cornicing. To the left of the entrance hall is the spectacular kitchen/dining room, stretching approximately 35 feet across the south face of the house with large windows capturing extensive views of the garden and countryside beyond and a door out to a large entertaining terrace. This double height room with substantial oak beams boasts a mixture of handmade fitted units with Belgian bluestone worktops and a large freestanding island topped with 2 inch solid Carrara marble. There is a 4 oven Aga plus companion unit with gas hob and two further ovens. Beyond the casual dining space is a sitting area and fireplace.

From the kitchen, a small curved stairway leads down to the formal dining room, with fireplace and full height bay windows, and French door leading to an outdoor kitchen/BBQ area. A further door leads through to the study, a calm retreat lined with handmade bookshelves and with a further seating and reading area and woodburner. This room looks east to the neighbouring farm and opens out onto a lovely covered sitting area.

Returning to the entrance hall, further doors lead to a quiet and private guest bedroom with en suite shower room, a double height guest cloakroom and the large family room with sunken seating area facing an automated drop down cinema screen and projector hoist built into the ceiling above. Bifold doors in this room open fully to the rear garden and stairs to the pool area. A boot room leading to a side entrance door runs off this room.

From the downstairs hallway there is a further cloakroom, a pantry, the second staircase, and a large laundry/utility room with additional fridge, freezer, dishwasher and oven. A door leads out to the side gate and footpath into the Downs. At the rear of the house is another large reception room currently enjoyed as a games/music room, and a shower room with its own access to the rear garden and swimming pool. The first floor is devoted to family space. The principal bedroom suite features vaulted ceilings and exposed beams in the bedroom and bathroom, views over the gardens and farmland beyond, a well-appointed bathroom with separate washstands, roll top bath and a marble-lined shower recess. There is a dressing room and a further walk in wardrobe, and an ‘extra’ wc. Along the corridor, bedroom two has a vaulted ceiling, full width windows, an en suite shower room and walk in cupboard space.

At the other end of the corridor lie four further bedrooms, one with en suite shower room, a further cloakroom and a family bathroom, all surrounding a generous landing area. There is also a good-sized ironing room that could form a nursery or further bedroom if desired.

From the pillared entrance the tree lined driveway sweeps up through a large, grassed area (formerly a 3 hole golf course) past the tennis court and formal gardens to a gravelled parking area with two separate garage buildings and a further two bay carport. One garage building, lined with timber flooring and used by the present owners as a teenage retreat downstairs, also has a cloakroom and stairs up to a large study/home office with sink and door out into the rear garden. This building also houses the plant room for the ground source heating system. The cellar is accessed from the terrace adjoining. The gardens reflect the undulating landscape of Punchbowl’s downland setting and are well established with a mixture of formal and informal planting, play areas, lawns and terraces. There is a large entertaining terrace to the front (south) of the house with direct access from the kitchen. The main feature of this area is a gorgeous Corten steel pergola covered by a wellestablished grape vine above a custom-made marble topped table that seats up to 20 people. A few stairs lead down to an outdoor kitchen and further seating area housed under a zinc veranda canopy.

To the west side of the house is a large gravelled kitchen/cutting garden with raised beds currently sown with wildflowers. To the rear are further lawns, a swimming pool (heated by air source heat pump), a summer house, and a built-in trampoline. The rear garden is open to the farmland beyond, due to become a vineyard managed by Artelium Wine Estate.

In total the property extends to approximately 3.32 acres.

Location

Punchbowl lies on the edge of the hamlet of Madehurst in the heart of the South Downs National Park. Once an isolated backwater known for its ancient church and beautiful village cricket pitch, Madehurst was recently put on the map by the opening of the Pig in the South Downs hotel and restaurant. There is easy access to London train services from Amberley station (7 mins) and to points along the south coast from Barnham (12 mins). The beautiful town of Arundel, with its historic castle and bustling farmers’ market, is 10 minutes away, with south coast beaches 10 minutes beyond that. The cathedral city of Chichester is just 10 miles to the south west with its extensive shopping, restaurants and amenities. The nearby Goodwood Estate features world renowned events, such as Glorious Goodwood at its race course and The Festival of Speed and The Revival at the historic motor circuit. Access to popular schools is excellent such as Westbourne House, Windlesham, Dorset House, Seaford, Brighton College and Bishop Luffa.

Square Footage: 5,829 sq ft


Acreage: 3.32 Acres

Directions

For the house What3words - ///animal.revision.skate

For entrance What3words - ///inspected.slightly.paddlers

Additional Info

Services: Mains water and electric. LPG and ground source heating. Private drainage. Air source heating for the swimming pool.