Legend suggests that the first person to call Kent the Garden of England was Henry VIII, who spent much time in the county and was reputedly so delighted by a bowl of cherries tasted in Flanders that he ordered Britain’s first cherry orchard to be created in Teynham, near Sittingbourne. Today, the county boasts some of England’s most famous gardens, among them those of Hever Castle, Chartwell, Penshurst and Sissinghurst, to name but a few.
An impressive new entrant to the ranks of Kent’s finest is the garden created in the early 2000s by East Sussex-based landscape designer Bonnie Lamont at The Grange in Bidborough, near Tunbridge Wells, which comes fresh to the market through the Wells office of Savills at £6.5 million.
Selling agent Robert Jacobs quotes a guide price of £6.5m for the immaculate Grade II*-listed, edge-of-village house, which stands in just under 16 acres of gardens and paddocks and, he says, ‘seamlessly encompasses three periods of architecture — 16th century, 19th century and 21st century — providing great character, while offering all the key amenities required for modern-day family living’.
Previously known as Church House, the original timber-frame structure dates from 1530 and, according to an archaeological survey conducted in 2009, was altered relatively soon after construction, probably between 1530 and 1580.
A great deal of work was carried out in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the house was divided into two cottages, among other changes. In 2021, a cleverly designed three-storey extension was undertaken behind the Victorian middle section by Stuart Page Architecture of Langton Green on behalf of the current vendors, who bought The Grange in 2000.
Highlights include the adjoining sitting room, dining room and study, built in the grand manner in the original 16th-century building.
The Victorian section of the house incorporates a large, bespoke kitchen/breakfast room fitted with top-of-the-range appliances: this flows through to the air conditioned garden room and an impressive orangery overlooking the garden.
The formal dining room, part of the 2021 extension, is a splendid, high-ceilinged, spacious room, with a large stone fireplace and three sets of double doors opening onto a crescent shaped terrace, which boasts distant southerly and westerly views.
There's is also a delightful Victorian coach house, which has been converted to a one-bedroom, two-reception room home.
The Grange in Bidborough is for sale via Savills — see more pictures and details.
-
‘Everyone had dodgy magazines hidden under their beds and I had interior design magazines’: James Thurstan Waterworth's consuming passionsInterior designer James Thurstan Waterworth was the European design director at Soho House before he went on to open his own studio, Thurstan. He discusses his love of Tudor history, Andrew Scott and how a portrait of a chicken changed his life.
-
Eat our local cheeses or lose our local cheeses, warns Neal's Yard DairyEngland has a rich tradition of fine local cheeses. Put down the cheddar, and protect some of our heritage dairy.
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm BeachAn exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
-
An idyllic home where the forest meets the sea, for sale for the first time in over half a centuryLittle Aston is a graceful, charming home with superb gardens and its own orchard, as well as some of the south coast's most beautiful areas right on its doorstep. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
'Just look at those stairs. Just as an art form, they are bewitching, like the shell of a nautilus': The lure of buying a stairway to heavenIt seems like madness to buy a house purely because you fall in love with the staircase — but sometimes, they are simply so beautiful that it's impossible to resist. Toby Keel takes a look at some glorious examples of staircases we've seen in Country Life in the last couple of years.
-
The one-of-a-kind estate with two private beaches and a surf house on storied Martha's Vineyard islandBeach Farm on Martha’s Vineyard — a favourite summertime holiday destination with prominent American families — is a perfect melding of New England and Scandinavian design styles.
-
The architect who created the MI6 building only designed a tiny handful of houses — and one of them is now up for sale in one of London's most bucolic spotsSir Terry Farrell designed the beautiful, light-filled, T-shaped Drum House in Petersham, with gardens laid out by John Sallis Chandler, who has won multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medals.
-
'True waterfront homes are finite... miss one and it could be years before you see another like it again': Why the best waterfront property always hits the spotThere’s no denying the appeal of waterfront property, which now sells for some 51% more than its inland equivalent, finds Knight Frank. Annabel Dixon explores the shore.
-
19 charming homes for sale, from picture-perfect cottages to beachside retreats, as seen in Country LifeThis week's selection of some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week.
-
Tim Burton is selling the house he shared with Helena Bonham-Carter, a sublime home on the Thames that comes with three private islandsMill House in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, might just be the perfect English country home.
