A traditional South Downs farmhouse with stables, a pool... and a skateboard stunt park in the barn
It had to happen: Country Life and skateboarding come together at last.
Sporting enthusiasts prepared to take a gamble should look to the South Downs National Park, where tidy, compact Leith House is up for sale. Set in 22 acres of post-and-railed paddocks, woodland and grazing, it’s located near the pretty village of South Harting, 4½ miles from Petersfield and 11½ miles from the Roman city of Chichester. The Haslemere office of Strutt & Parker quotes a guide price of £2.75m. It is also, at least in the memory of the current team, the first house we've featured which comes with its own skateboard stunt park.
Built in the style of a traditional Sussex farmhouse after the Second World War, the house has been cleverly modernised by the current owners.
It offers some 3,700sq ft of bright and cheerful accommodation on three floors, including a fitted Neptune kitchen/breakfast room and spacious living areas.
There is a pleasant sitting room with an adjoining games room, five bedrooms and five bath/shower rooms. An attached self-contained annexe is currently used as groom’s accommodation.
The property boasts far-reaching downland views and extensive equestrian facilities, with direct access to the bridleways of the national park. The existing facilities comprise a main yard with nine stables, a tack room, store and good-sized barn.
A further stable block with seven stables and garden stores now needs restoring or converting to an alternative use.
One of the barns, as mentioned above, has already been so converted: inside lies not bales of hay or old machinery, but a series of ramps and jumps for skateboarding and BMX riding.
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Meanwhile, the owners have lodged a pre-planning application with South Downs National Park, which, if successful, would allow for the demolition and re-siting of the existing house, the demolition of the redundant stable block, plus the erection of a replacement dwelling and a covered manège to create a model equestrian operation. Further details are available from the selling agents.
For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more pictures and details.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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