A country house that has a bit of everything — and which pulls off the hardest trick in property
'A more delightful period village house is hard to imagine,' says the agent handling the sale of Fyning House, in West Sussex. We're inclined to agree.
'Cosy' and 'grand' aren't exactly opposites — but neither are they friends.
Calling a house cosy conjures up images of roaring fires, characterful decorations and comfortable furniture. Grand makes you think of high ceilings, gleaming floors and properties built on an epic scale. When it comes to looking for a new home, it's almost always an either/or equation: you can get the cosy, or the grand, but not both at once.
I say 'almost always', because once in a while we come across a house that somehow manages this most difficult of tricks: bringing cosy and grand together. It's so rare that it probably deserves its own word; no doubt the Germans have one, but since we're communicating in English, it's probably time to invent one. 'Crand', perhaps? Or how about 'Grosy'?
The house that inspires this tangent is a delight: Fyning House, on the outskirts of a village called Rogate, in a green and rolling spot in the South Downs between Midhurst and Petersfield, which is for sale through Savills at £3.25 million.
Fyning House is a place that has it all. Its grandeur is evident the moment you pull up the driveway and stop outside a huge, blue front door sheltered from the elements by a portico. This Grade II*-listed home is in essence an early-Georgian building dating to 1730, though it was built on the site of an existing manor house and thus some parts of the building date back to 1589.
The building is huge, so much so that it has long been split into three parts: Fyning House is the west wing, while Old Fyning House (which includes the Tudor parts) and Old Bell Cottage (converted from an agricultural buidling in the 19th century) are the north and east wings respectively. Fyning House, all 7,000 sq ft and six bedrooms of it, is the Georgian part, and it's the sort of place they could use to film Bridgerton.
Yet for all its impressive proportions, this is very much a house that gives off homely vibes within. The furniture and fittings are entirely right for the era of the house, yet without ever making it feel like you're walking around a National Trust property.
The utterly charming kitchen is a case in point: the cupboards are painted in a sort of cornflower blue, with a small table in the centre of the space that's warmed in winter by the Aga.
The bedrooms also get this right, with calming colour schemes, patchwork quilts and furniture that's not afraid to mix in a bit of Ikea flat-pack with some choice pieces that are probably sourced from one of the many antique shops in nearby Midhurst.
And while this is a house that's obviously been dressed beautifully ahead of the Savills photographer arriving, it never feels forced or unnatural. This is a house made for living in.
Not just a house, actually: there are also the gardens (a little over two and a half acres) that include a swimming pool (watertight, but apparently in need of attention before use), a walled garden, a laburnam walk, a gothic-inspired summer house and a brick-built, detached double garage. The latter could be turned into a home office or gym with relative ease, the agents casually suggest (while knowing full well it won't be their job to find a decent builder).
The options don't stop there, actually. There are a series of cellars on the lower ground floor, currently used for storage (one corner is designated as a superbly pretty wine cellar) but which could probably be turned into some sort of man-cave (or teenager cave); and on top of that the entire second floor is configured to be usable as a self-contained apartment. It makes multi-generational living a viable option.
As far as we can see the only downside is that you're splitting the building with the neighbours; many will appreciate the security that brings with it, but it does take away from the feeling of having your own little corner of the world.
Then again, this is very much a village house for those who wish to be in the country but among people: Rogate has a little shop, a nice pub and a strong community feel, which Fyning House is very much a part of. 'A more delightful period village house is hard to imagine,' says agent Phillippa Dalby-Welsh. We're inclined to agree.
Fyning House is for sale through Savills at £3.25 million — see more details.
