If sailing’s your scene, you’re in luck: a house has come up for sale in the historic coastal town of Emsworth, Hampshire. Here, you might take the helm of Grade II-listed Ivy House, a handsome, late-18th-century property with a large, three-storey, Victorian rear extension, which stands in a prominent position on King Street, a quiet no-through road leading down to the beach, to which it has access via a shared private path.
Launched in August with a guide price of £3.25m through the Chichester office of Strutt & Parker, the house was built in 1790 by a Mr King, a prosperous merchant who supplied the materials used to build Emsworth’s once-thriving fleet of oyster boats from a timber yard behind the house.
In 2018, Ivy House was acquired by its present owner, a retired Winchester GP and a lifelong sailor. The setting is at the northern end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, 2½ miles from Havant, eight miles from Portsmouth and nine miles from the cathedral city of Chichester; the good doctor was persuaded to move to Emsworth in part for its two sailing clubs. The port has easy access to the calm waters of Chichester Harbour, with the Beaulieu River, the Solent and the Channel beyond.
With more than 5,000sq ft of accommodation arranged over five levels, the house, which has a distinctly nautical feel, has undergone a comprehensive restoration including the re-tiling of the roof, the installation of a new heating system and three new, high-spec bathrooms, and the replacement of old windows with double-glazed wooden sashes.
A neutral colour palette is used throughout and warm-toned wooden flooring creates a sense of cohesion between the living areas. These comprise a front-facing family room, study, dining room and a raised sitting room overlooking the harbour — as indeed is the bathroom which, if you dare, allows you to soak in the tub while watching the boats bob up and down in the harbour.
In total, Ivy House offers four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, seven bedrooms and two bathrooms, with planning consent to convert the vast loft into a further room with high-level views across the Emsworth water to the Isle of Wight.
For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more pictures and details.
The Chichester Harbour AONB, a slice of Sussex where nature, beauty and history come together
Rosie Paterson takes in the all-too-often overlooked Chichester Harbour.
The best places to live south of London, from charming rural villages to picture-perfect spots beside the sea
With more and more of us commuting two or three days a week, taking on a one or two-hour commute
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Oh, my gourd, it’s Hallowe’en: How best to decorate your home with pumpkins, squashes and moreAs the feast of All Hallow’s Eve approaches, Debora Robertson advises how best to decorate your home with autumn's edible bounty.
-
A Cotswolds property that's the strangest mix of old and new we've ever seen... and yet somehow, it all worksThe Gasworks is a house quite unlike anything you've seen before — or at least anything you've seen all in one place. Toby Keel takes a closer look.
-
A Cotswolds property that's the strangest mix of old and new we've ever seen... and yet somehow, it all works
The Gasworks is a house quite unlike anything you've seen before — or at least anything you've seen all in one place. Toby Keel takes a closer look.
-
A country house near Windsor that could be straight from the pages of a Jilly Cooper novelPenny Churchill looks at the beautiful polo-lover's sanctuary that is Barkham Square Park.
-
The factory that once fuelled the Victorians' insatiable appetite for pianos has become a set of gorgeous, characterful apartmentsChappell & Co were a huge name in 19th century music, even working with Beethoven. Today, one of their old factories in Camden has become a series of beautiful apartments.
-
What £1 million buys you across Britain, from a Cornish cottage to a miniature castle in the HighlandsSprawling country houses, a mini-estate in Scotland and homes where the sea almost laps up at your feet are among the property options open to those with a seven-figure budget. Here's our pick of the best £1 million houses for sale across the land.
-
The Hampshire home of a Victoria Cross-winning British WWI ace fighter pilot is for sale, with lake, chapel and some of the best fishing rights in EnglandPenny Churchill looks at Longparish House, a north Hampshire haven on the River Test.
-
Five superb country homes, from under £1 million to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life in the past week includes a Wiltshire dream home and a vast Kent mansion that's an easy commute to the City.
-
Rock stars and the country house: Liam Gallagher's life in the Cotswolds is in the finest tradition of music A-listers, from The Beatles to BeyoncéWhat is it about the British countryside that draws A-listers from every walk of life? With Liam Gallagher's Cotswold former home on the market, Toby Keel takes a look.
-
Life on Portugal's Coast of Kings, where Ian Fleming met the triple-agent whose gambling inspired 'Casino Royale'Once a quiet fishing village west of Lisbon, Cascais became an unlikely hive of activity during the Second World War, attracting regal refugees and intelligence operatives in equal measure. Russell Higham investigates its enduring glamour — and its connection to Casino Royale.
