The Old Farm House Willow Lane Paddock Wood Tonbridge Kent TN12 6PF
Seller Insight This extremely attractive Grade II Listed former farmhouse enjoys a wonderfully picturesque location in the heart of the glorious Kent countryside. The property dates back to the early 18th Century, but over the years it has been enlarged and more recently beautifully renovated by the current owners. I d say that it was definitely the location that initially attracted us to this house, says the owner. It sits within a peaceful little hamlet which is surrounded by nothing but open countryside, and yet everything we could possibly want or need is close at hand. It takes just a few minutes to get into nearby Paddock Wood, which, as well as a mainline station, has a superb array of shops and amenities, and if you can t find what you re looking for there, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone are both only around twenty minutes away by car. For us the location has been ideal. Unfortunately, before we purchased The Old Farm House twenty seven years ago it s fair to say that the property as a whole had suffered considerable neglect. Consequently, not only the house but also the gardens were in need of complete renovation, and so over a four-year period we slowly and extremely sympathetically breathed new life into both. The original landscaping of the grounds was undertaken by a local garden designer in the early 1990s and the result is a low maintenance garden with mixed mature borders, trees and shrubs, continues the owner. Wisteria climbs up the south side of the house and mature yew bushes offer shelter to the birds throughout the year there are over twenty species of birds that reside in or visit the garden. The walled garden allows for a longer growing season for the vegetables, and the pond is stunning feature, alive with wildlife; the large decked area that juts out over it is one of our favourite outside entertaining areas. Each room has its own character, says the owner, but if I had to choose a favourite it would be between the very cosy front room with the wood burner and large inglenook, and the sunroom with its beautiful view out to the pond on one side and the horse paddock and garden on the other. Favourite aspect of the grounds or surrounding area: The house sits on a quiet lane, but we ve never felt isolated as we re surrounded by some wonderful neighbours, says the owner, however the nearest is around one hundred yards away, so we enjoy a very good degree of privacy. The grounds have enabled us to hold many large outdoor events, and on a number of occasions we ve erected a huge marque, says the owner. We ve hosted charity events, fancy dress balls and numerous family parties. One memorable celebration featured a string quartet to start the evening and finished with a DJ and dancing! We ll miss our good neighbours, the beautiful house and garden, and the complete and utter peace and tranquility of the setting, says the owner. It s been a wonderful place to live. * These comments are the personal views of the current owner and are included as an insight into life at the property. They have not been independently verified, should not be relied on without verification and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agent.
Step inside The Old Farm House MAIN DESCRIPTION This beautiful traditional Kentish brick and weatherboard farmhouse sits in around two acres and is located within a very pretty and quiet rural enclave just 2.5 miles from Paddock Wood mainline rail station which affords journey times to the city in around 55 minutes. The property itself is a traditional Kentish farmhouse that retains much of its period character. Later enhancements include a large sun room and contemporary fittings making the home truly remarkable. Externally, the home enjoys a superb plot including very attractive gardens and large spring fed pond with its own jetty. Beyond the gardens are further generous grassed areas with a wooden chalet style garden room/ home office and a horse paddock that benefits from its own separate gated access. Adjacent to the house and served by its own driveway and parking area is a sympathetically converted stable block that serves as a detached two storey office. This attractive building has been a fully functioning office for a successful business for several years. To aide the sale of the property, planning permission has been sought and granted for the office building to be converted into a three bedroom annexe. Further alternative usages would require planning permission. The main house is approached via a driveway that provides generous levels of parking ( up to six cars) plus a spacious detached double garage building with storage rooms above and an internal W.C. Interested parties may benefit from planning permission that has been granted to add additional accommodation to the first and second floors of the farmhouse plus internal alterations. FARMHOUSE ACCOMMODATION and GROUNDS ENTRANCE Part glazed entrance door opening into: ENTRANCE PORCH Double glazed window to side. Covered radiator. Quarry tiled floor. HALLWAY Beamed ceiling. Covered radiator. Oak floor. Understairs storage cupboard. GROUND FLOOR W.C. / UTILITY Window to side. Low level close coupled W.C. Rectangular wash hand basin with counter top and storage below. Concealed oil fired boiler. Cabinets housing space for washing machine and tumble dryer. Additional storage. Exposed floorboards. LOUNGE Windows to front and side. Beamed ceiling. Inglenook fireplace with wood burning stove. Additional Victorian fireplace (at opposite end). Covered radiators. Oak flooring. DINING ROOM Beamed walls and ceiling. Fitted oak china cabinet. Covered radiator. Oak flooring. KITCHEN Double glazed windows to sides. Split stable door to sun room. Beamed ceiling. Central island with ceramic sink unit and mixer taps into into marble work surfaces. Range of cupboards and drawer base units with integrated dishwasher and bin. Further range of cupboards and drawer base units with matching work surfaces. Inset five zone electric hob plus electric oven and basket storage. Upright cabinets concealing space for fridge freezer and microwave. Range of eye level wall cabinets. Wide extractor hood. Additional dresser style unit. Radiator. Exposed floorboards. SUN ROOM Windows to side and rear. Double glazed french doors to side and rear. Twin pitched vaulted ceiling with four double glazed Velux roof windows. Covered radiators. Wooden flooring. STAIRS TO FIRST FLOOR Wooden staircase with hand rail and balustrade. LANDING Beamed ceiling. Oak floor. MASTER BEDROOM Windows to front and side. Beamed ceiling. Built in closets. Radiators. Exposed floorboards. EN-SUITE Double glazed window to side. Low level close coupled W.C. Double glazed Velux window to rear. Pedestal wash hand basin. Tiled shower enclosure. Radiator/towel rail. Full wall tiling. Tiled floor with underfloor heating. BEDROOM Windows to front and side. Victorian style fireplace. Radiator. Exposed floorboards.
FAMILY BATHROOM Window to side. Double glazed Velux window to rear. Low level close coupled W.C. Rectangular wash hand basin. L shaped shower bath with hand shower and screen. Radiator/towel rail. Full wall tiling. Tiled floor. STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR Wooden staircase with hand rail and balustrade. BEDROOM Window to front. Sloping beamed ceiling. Radiator. Exposed floorboards. BEDROOM Currently open plan from staircase. Window to front. Sloping beamed ceiling. Radiator. Exposed floorboards. GARDENS The front garden is arranged with flat lawn, hedging, flower beds and block paved pathways to rear gardens via an arched gateway. The rear garden has lawns with yew hedging plus privet edged rose beds and block paved pathways leading to a gated walled vegetable garden. An arched walk way leads to large an open grassed area. NATURAL POND A large natural fed pond is located to the south of the property with a small island and duck house. A wooden jetty has been installed to facilitate the easy launching of a rowing boat or to simply provide a seating area to enjoy the surroundings. HORSE PADDOCK To the rear of the ground is a horse paddock secured with post and rail fencing. The paddock can be accessed by vehicles (via a right of way) by its own separate gate located at its northeastern corner. DRIVEWAY A spacious concrete driveway provides extensive off road parking for up to six vehicles. DOUBLE GARAGE With two up and over doors (one being powered). Personal door to side. Enclosed W.C. at rear. Fixed staircase to two first floor storage room (one with window to rear). OFFICE BUILDING / POTENTIAL ANNEXE A large detached office building arranged over two storeys. Currently arranged with open plan offices on the ground floor served by central heating, a kitchen, a shower room with W.C. plus a further W.C. The upper floor is accessed via a spiral staircase leading to two separate offices each served by their own store room. Planning permission has been granted under appeal for this building to be converted (with alterations) into a three bedroom residential building. OFFICE / ANNEXE PARKING A generous driveway/parking area adjoins the existing building. It should be noted that a proportion of this area will be given over to gardens should the properties conversion to residential accommodation be fulfilled.
EPC Exempt Agents notes: All measurements are approximate and for general guidance only and whilst every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, they must not be relied on. The fixtures, fittings and appliances referred to have not been tested and therefore no guarantee can be given that they are in working order. Internal photographs are reproduced for general information and it must not be inferred that any item shown is included with the property. For a free valuation, contact the numbers listed on the brochure. Copyright 2017 Fine & Country Ltd. Registered in England and Wales. Company Reg No. 06959315 Registered Office: Morgan Alexander Kent Ltd (formerly Fine & Country Kent Ltd.) 36 King Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1BS. Printed THE FINE & COUNTRY FOUNDATION The production of these particulars has generated a 10 donation to the Fine & Country Foundation, charity no. 1160989, striving to relieve homelessness. Visit fineandcountry.com/uk/foundation
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