6 Bed Detached House For Sale

Guide Price £895,000 - Freehold

Skinner Road, Lydd, Kent TN29 9DD

A carefully restored, imposing Grade II Listed house of superb proportions and with exceptional features of the period situated in the Conservation Area of the historic town of Lydd.

Skinner House is a magnificent Grade II listed property rebuilt in 1695 with 16th century origins, presenting a white stucco frontage with wooden modillion eaves cornice, long and short quoins and symmetrical sash windows with keystones. It provides generously proportioned accommodation, arranged over three floors, and has exceptional original features including fine timber panelling, intricate wall paintings and ornate carved fireplaces and an interesting history as the former residence of John Skinner, Captain of the Milita and Bailiff of the Town.

Reception hall, Drawing room, Sitting room, Dining room, Conservatory, Kitchen/breakfast room, Cloakroom, Landing, Principal bedroom with en suite shower room, Five further bedrooms, Kitchenette/utility room, Two bathrooms, Gas central heating, EPC rating D, Double garage and off road parking, Mature garden, Additional land and outbuilding by separate negotiation

The historic town of Lydd lies on Denge Marsh between the vast shingle peninsula and highly protected area of Dungeness, Britain's only desert, and the fertile fields and winding lanes of Walland Marsh. Lydd has an attractive Conservation Area and All Saints church is known as the 'Cathedral of the Marsh'. The Town provides a primary school, library, GP surgery, three convenience stores, two cafes, post office, hardware store, airport for private light aircraft and cargo planes and museum, as well as several pubs and a triangular common, known as the Rype. The larger town of Ashford (17 miles) has a wider range of facilities, International Station with a high-speed service to London Stratford and St Pancras in 37 minutes and The Norton Knatchbull School and Highworth Grammar School for girls. Other schools include The Marsh Academy in New Romney together with the Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone. The Channel Tunnel Terminal is 19 miles and Rye, famed for its historical associations and period medieval fortifications is about 10 miles. Access to bathing beaches is within 5 miles at Littlestone, where there is also an excellent links golf course and at Camber, 6 miles. Local leisure facilities include golf at Lydd and Littlestone, watersports facilities in Lydd and Camber, Dungeness RSPB and Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

GROUND FLOOR A panelled front door with a fanlight set into a doorcase with corbel brackets supporting a shallow hood opens into a generous reception hall with grand staircase to the upper floors and Trompe l'oeil decoration of the wooden panelling believed to date from the early 1700s. It was discovered by the current owner and restored by an expert. There are also twelve decorative painted landscape panels within the house that date from the same period and considered to be the work of an itinerant Dutch artist. To the right is the double aspect drawing room with a pair of sash windows to the front, French doors to the side garden, fully panelled walls that frame landscape compositions and a fireplace with a moulded surround and a wood-burning stove. To the other side of the hall is the dining room with sash windows overlooking the front, antique wooden panelling and a superb inglenook fireplace surround exquisitely carved with fluted pilasters, overmantel, dentil cornice and framed Dutch paintings. To the rear of the house is a large sitting room with exposed beams, an inglenook fireplace with a wood burner and French doors to a conservatory with a terracotta tiled floor and doors to the garden. The rear hall gives access to a cloakroom and a double aspect kitchen/breakfast room with double doors to the garden, secondary door to outside, cabinets comprising cupboards and drawers, open display shelving, plumbing for a dishwasher and washing machine, a gas Rayburn range, a freestanding Stoves gas cooker, a ceramic sink and a boiler area.

FIRST FLOOR On the first floor, there is the principal bedroom with an en suite shower room, three further double bedrooms, a family bathroom with a roll top bath with shower over and a kitchenette/utility room. One of the bedrooms has Georgian style mahogany armoires with swan neck pediments above a moulded frieze with perforated doors lined with fabric. On the second floor is another bathroom with a roll top bath, as well as two spacious attic bedrooms.

OUTSIDE The garden, which is enclosed by mature hedges and a flint-stone wall, is laid out in several sections. To the rear of the house is a wide paved terrace leading out to a central lawn with old fruit trees, a large camellia and garden store. To the south is a rose garden and to the other side is a further lawn surrounded by established laurel and holly trees, herbaceous borders and a wisteria clad pergola. From the garden a gate gives access to a hard standing area for two cars to the front of a double garage with access from Park Street. Beyond the rear of the garden and available by separate negotiation is an additional plot extending to approximately 0.088 acres with a brick built double garage/outbuilding, potting shed and vehicular access from Park Street. Further details upon request.