A stunning property in Kent which could be Britain’s best beach house
Kentlands is a remarkable Grade II-listed Arts-and-Crafts house in an idyllic location, sitting along a beach in the private Sandwich Bay Estate.
Although accepting that the claim of ‘possibly England’s best beach house’ in relation to Kentlands in Princes Drive, Sandwich Bay, Kent, may be ‘a little over the top’, the many virtues of this remarkable Arts-and-Crafts house are evident.
Kentlands sits right alongside the beach, overlooking Sandwich Bay and adjoining the famous links of the Royal St George’s Golf Club.
For sale through Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £2.9m, the house was built in 1920 by the architect Charles Biddulph Pinchard for Frederick Leverton Harris (an influential Tory MP who was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Blockade during the First World War), using materials reclaimed from two 17th-century Dutch weavers’ cottages and timbers taken from local Tudor barns – hence its Grade II listing.
It was later owned by the Heinz family and subsequently by its current owners, who have completely renovated the property.
Kentlands sits within the private Sandwich Bay Estate, just south of the medieval Cinque Port of Sandwich, and boasts more than 6,000sq ft of living space, including a reception hall, four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, eight bedrooms and four bathrooms. It comes with a walled garden, a swimming pool and unhindered access to the beach.
Also included in the sale is The Lodge House, a two-bedroom property, ideal for accommodating all the friends and family who’ll be flocking to the new owners for holidays.
Adjacent to The Lodge House is another building currently in use as a playroom, with the potential of being converted into a games room, an office, a studio or a home gym.
Although seemingly in the middle of nowhere (it certainly feels like a world of its own), Kentlands has surprisingly decent transport links, only 17 miles from Canterbury and all of its charms.
Three perfect houses which show just why so many of us dream of moving to a waterside home
Living by the waterside is no longer a retirement dream – young families are flocking to river, lake and seaside spots.
The best places to live for commuters: Kent
There are six villages and towns in Kent which made the list of our best places to live for commuters,
The Kent manor with an original Tudor fireplace and space for a string of horses
Not only is Solton Manor one of Kent's most beautiful country houses, but it also boasts an interesting and chequered
The Archbishop of Canterbury celebrates the Church’s heroes
The Archbishop of Canterbury introduction about the unsung heroes of the rural church 2009
The Stonemason: ‘Working on a cathedral is the pinnacle of architectural stone-masonry’
A team of stonemasons is hard at work restoring Canterbury's magnificent cathedral, employing techniques that have been used since the