It’s Monday, the start of a new work week, and the weather at the weekend was bad. With that in mind, we are not going to get too clever with our property stuff today. We are going to, in the words of LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, ‘shut up and play the hits’.
And what a hit it is. Mount Offham in West Malling, Kent. Almost 10,000sq ft of opulent splendour in 31.6 acres of the Garden of England. Yours for offers in excess of £5 million with Savills.
Originally constructed between 1840–70 by the Rhodes family, cousins of Queen Elizabeth II, the property wawa owned in the 1950s by Baron Plunkett, who was apparently something known as the ‘Master of the Queen’s Bedchamber’. More interestingly, he was also chairman of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and it is he who added many of the aesthetic features at Mount Offham, such as glazing bars, cornices and marble fireplaces.
Since then, the property has been in the care of its current owners since 1993, and has been lovingly maintained since then. Mount Offham is now a ‘charming and compact’ estate, with seven bedrooms in a primary residence, as well as a range of versatile commercial and leisure elements.
Arranged over four floors, the property is ideal for both family living and formal entertaining. There are all the usual hits of a grand house of this kind, namely high ceilings, exposed flooring, sash windows, dado rails, original shutters, fireplaces and bay windows.
We could go through it room-by-room, but best to just sit back and enjoy the pictures.
Outside, the excitement continues. Approached via a long, tree-lined driveway, the property and its park-like grounds are predominantly laid to lawn, with plenty of specimen trees and a lake beyond.
There is also an outdoor heated swimming pool, and an outdoor kitchen with Wolf appliances. A tennis court? Why yes of course.
For those interested in equestrian entertainment, a U-shaped stable block is on sight with 10 stalls, a barn, hay store and tack room, manege, lunging area and grazing paddocks.
But wait, there’s more. The property also features a grass air strip, authorised by the UK Border Force for international flights, and a helicopter hangar and apron. Further outbuildings, mostly for administrative use, make up the rest of the 31.6 acres.
Mount Offham is for sale with Savills for £5 million. For more information and pictures, click here
20 wonderful homes, from clifftop cottages to cosy medieval dwellings, as seen in Country Life
Take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in recent days.
A 400-year-old fantasy house with moat, four-poster beds and a 'magic' swimming pool that converts into a ballroom
The majestic Ludstone Hall is one of Shropshire's greatest privately-owned country estates — and it's now looking for a new owner.
Credit: Fine and Country
A gorgeous Elizabethan manor with all the modern trimmings that may have been home to Anne Boleyn
Wymondley Bury is a 10-bedroom home where history meets comfort in Hertfordshire.
Stability, confidence — and lots of new homes: Property experts on what Labour's General Election win mean for the housing market
Britain woke up on Friday to change of government. Plenty of change is expected across the board, but what will
-
‘It had the air of an ex-rental, and that’s putting it politely’: How an antique dealer transformed a run-down Georgian house in Chatham DockyardsAn antique dealer with an eye for colour has rescued an 18th-century house from years of neglect with the help of the team at Mylands.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in Kent
North Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow downThe glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heartStokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for saleThe five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
-
Is the 'race for space' officially over?During the lockdowns, many thought the countryside was the place to be. It seems many are now changing their minds.
-
What's a 'wellness village' and will it tempt you back into the office?The team behind London's first mixed-use ‘wellness village’ says it has the magic formula for tempting workers back into offices.
