Bonchurch Manor.
HOMEFILE
Location...Bonchurch old
Bedrooms...Seven + six other potential bedrooms
Price...£695,000
Agent...01 Estate Agents
Tel...01983 855101
GRAND reception rooms rich in period spendour, space galore inside and out and magnificent views far out over the English Channel come at a suprisingly modest price at a manor house in a magical Bonchurch setting.
Bonchurch Manor, in Bonchurch Shute, stands high above the sea in delightful gardens of nearly an acre, complete with what is thought to be a smugglers’ cave and offers a huge amount of accommodation, Victorian character and scope.
The charming rambling stone building, built in 1838 by church historian Canon Venables, has had a number of uses and is now ready for another chapter of its history.
There is work to be done —including refurbishment of the orangery on the eastern side — but the manor has much to offer and exudes period elegance, from features including decorative woodwork and panelling, original ornate fireplaces and plasterwork and pitch pine floors.
It could be one fabulous residence, divided into smaller homes or even be used as a conference centre.
The good news is the owners will consider offers for part of the property if a buyer finds it too large as one package.
However, anyone wanting the whole home will get an awful lot for their money.
In addition to the vast downstairs reception rooms, with fantastic almost infinity-style views over the level lawned front garden to the sea, there are extensive ground-floor storage areas, a kitchen, preparation room, cool room, WCs and offices.
Laid out on two main levels upstairs are 13 en-suite bedrooms, some put to uses such as office space and a gymn, and many with spectacular panoramic views to the sea, some taking in the coastline or soaring St Boniface Down.
The grand conservatory-style entrance next to a parking area, reached via a stone wall edged driveway, sets the tone of rich period detail.
Stone steps climb under a decorative wooden-framed porch with pretty, unusual-shaped windows to a lofty-ceilinged, quarry-tiled floored vestibule, with clambering greenery and sea views.
Doors, with beautiful stained glass and matching side panels, open to the magnificant 50ft-long Palm Court entrance hall, with two fireplaces, mellow restored pine parquet flooring, partly panelled walls, a decorative archway and an attractive staircase.
On the seaward side is the 40ft-long drawing room, with two beautiful fireplaces, acess to a south-facing veranda and a curved seat in a front bay, the spacious dining room with a large front bay and original fireplace and the orangery.
Most upstairs rooms are also bright and airy.
An extensive dry cellar area is ideal for storage.
Behind the house is a flagstone passageway beneath a rock face with deep coal bunkers and a WC off. The passageway meets an original cobbled path extending to the parking area.
In the extensive front garden is a side terrace ideal for outside dining, with a super sea view and a pond surrounded by trees and shrubs.
A path curves up behind the house to a large grassed terrace with more lovely sea views and the 'smugglers cave' within a rock wall.
Higher still is a tree-lined terrace, used in Victorian times as a picnic spot.
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