A grand entrance hall, acres of secluded garden and huge amounts of space in a beautiful house for sale in Kent
Penny Churchill takes a look at the grand yet pretty Galleys Wood, a wonderful family home in Kent.


Kent is always a good place to look for a historic family house of character and charm. One such example has just come to the market: the handsome Galleys Wood in Honeypot Lane, Edenbridge, an imposing Victorian/Edwardian house set in 12 acres of gardens, grounds and woodland on the Kent-Surrey border. It’s two miles from Edenbridge town centre, a 10-minute drive from Waitrose — these things do matter — and is currently for sale through the Oxted office of Jackson-Stops at a guide price of £3.25 million.
Built to last for the next millennium, the house offers more than 8,600sq ft of accommodation on five floors, including a spectacular reception hall with an impressive oak staircase that immediately sets the scene.
Galleys Wood was once home to the Prestwich family of JAP motorcycle engine fame. The current owners, who were married at the house 25 years ago, recall the previous owner saying that she used to skate around the cellar, which they have converted into a cinema and bar, a large games room and a home-office area with an adjoining kitchen, wine cellar, store room and boiler room.
The drawing room and dining room are elegant entertaining areas with bay windows overlooking the gardens.
The family room adjoins the contemporary kitchen/breakfast room with its matching wood island, work surfaces and cupboards. A playroom with extensive storage completes the ground floor.
The principal bedroom suite, comprising a large bedroom with a bay window and a stylish bath and shower room en suite, takes up one side of the first floor. Four further bedrooms, served by a family bathroom, overlook the gardens.
The second floor — arranged as a sitting room/kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom — could be used as a separate flat. A spiral staircase rises to the third-floor recreation room, with access to the attics.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Additional accommodation is available in the converted three-bedroom coach house.
The gardens and grounds offer a high level of privacy and seclusion, with areas of woodland lining the perimeter of the grounds. Long-established planting in the garden includes specimen trees, beech hedging, rhododendrons and oak, beech and a variety of conifers.
A pretty tree house on the southern boundary is a magnet for children, who also enjoy their own play area — as well as the freedom of a 3½-acre paddock with room for a pony or two.
Galleys Wood is for sale with Jackson-Stops at a guide price of £3.25 million — see more details and pictures.
-
A modern masterpiece for sale in Cornwall that's just one mile from the beach
Hay House combines location, elegance and modern family living to create a special home for the 21st century.
-
'All the floral world wants to do is procreate': Why pollen is nothing to sneeze at
Pollen often hits the headlines for making us sneeze, but it plays a vital role in far more serious matters.
-
Angels, kings and fluffy bunnies; Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 9, 2025
Friday's Quiz of the Day celebrates a northern landmark.
-
Sheep-herding dogs, The Archers and Sir David Attenborough: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 8, 2025
Thursday's Quiz of the Day features dogs, David (Attenborough) and radio drama.
-
Garden gnomes and the March sisters: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 7, 2025
Wednesday's Quiz of the Day features a clutch of famous literary sisters and some fast-moving bees.
-
How many bees, Channel 4 and a Catch 22: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 6, 2025
Tuesday's Quiz of the Day features a famous road, nature and science.
-
The heroine's name in 'Rebecca' and a strange coffee subsitute: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 2, 2025
Friday's Quiz of the Day has a rock legend, a delicate flower and much more.
-
Country Life is hiring
Change is afoot at Country Life and we are looking for a new News & Property Editor, and a Luxury Editor.
-
Britain's fastest mammal, a tropical tester and a Scottish estate: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 1, 2025
Thursday's Quiz of the Day offers up a great country estate in Scotland.
-
Puffins, the world's smelliest fruit and Einstein's socks: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 30, 2025
Wednesday's Quiz of the Day wonders if you know what an 'interrobang' is.