Gate House Farm, East Farleigh, Kent

This Grade II-listed Kentish farmhouse wears its 17th-century pedigree with pride. The exterior is idiosyncratically asymmetric, with a bright weatherboarded front façade that contrasts with the steeply sloping peg-tiled catslide roof to the rear. Internally, each room revels in its historic features, including an amalgamation of twisting beams, vast inglenook fireplaces and exposed brickwork. Outside, amid gardens of around a third of an acre, is a generous and sheltered terrace planted with Mediterranean perennials that transplant a Provençal feel to the Garden of England.

Setting the Scene

With its hipped roof, jettied gable end and exposed timber framing, this is an archetypal Kentish hall house. Throughout the Kent countryside, colours and forms are bright and cheerful to match the prosperous and smiling landscape of its hop fields, orchards and oasts. Here, brown, red and brilliant orange tiles, white-painted weatherboarding and red brick combine with the huge slopes of plain-tiled roofs, sweeping almost to the ground, to create a picture of warmth and well-being. Despite its secluded feel, the house is minutes from the charming village of East Farleigh and from the larger conveniences of Maidstone, with connections to London and the Kentish coast and countryside easily reached.

The Grand Tour

A short gravel drive leads up to the house, where a mature magnolia tree sits centre stage. The smart front façade has been recently refurbished, and the expanse of white weatherboarding gleams brightly.

The bones of the hall are immediately apparent on entering: its vaulted ceiling soars to the storeys above, crisscrossed by seemingly innumerable beams, interlinking with a roughly hewn ragstone chimney breast. The vast space includes a WC and a store cupboard and opens onto the dining room and adjacent boot room, from which a trapdoor provides access to a sizeable cellar.

Flag stone flooring runs throughout and into the kitchen. Here, bespoke shaker-style cabinetry is topped with dark granite and houses integrated Miele appliances. At its heart is a large Britannia range with a large kitchen island opposite – perfect for prepping a feast. The kitchen also opens out to the garden and its considerable rear terrace.

The living room sits across the hall and is centred around a large inglenook fireplace, its bressummer propped up by monolithic chunks of ragstone. The stone creates levels of rustication that contrasts pleasingly against the ornately chamfered beams that run overhead, set against the soft tones of ‘Old White’ by Farrow & Ball. A study and a snug open off this space, both perfect bolt holes for rest or work, are decorated in darker shades of ‘Mole’s Breath’ by Farrow & Ball.

Upstairs, four bedrooms are interlinked by an open gallery that connects with the hallway below. Each bedroom has its own charm, whether a ceiling striped with beams or an exposed brick fireplace, while all have been recently recarpeted. One bedroom has a dramatically vaulted ceiling and a crown post that spans the room, and considerable storage space Hidden behind a timber door. The primary bedroom is serviced by an en suite with a shower.

A shared bathroom has been recently renovated and is now clad in timber panelling painted in ‘Off Black’ by Farrow & Ball that offsets timeless chrome fittings.

The Great Outdoors

Stretching to around a third of an acre, the gardens that surround the house are well-structured and established. To the front, a bed of roses and dahlias is a riot of colour come late summer, lightly shaded by a variety of flowering hawthorns that form the hedged boundary. At the centre of the gravelled drive, a magnolia tree reaches over a bed of headily scented lavender.

At the rear, divided by a hazel hurdle fence, a large lawn banks softly towards a backdrop of trees. This is Kent, the ‘Garden of England’, so the fruiting cherry and apple trees that pepper the garden are near prescribed. To one corner, a substantial double garage is currently used as a convenient store and workshop but could easily be reinstated as a garage, utilising the second gateway.

Tucked into the cruck of the rear façade, a wonderfully appointed south-facing terrace is the perfect place for a long lunch in the sun. Here, the planting is more formal, with nods to the Mediterranean with a combination olive trees and lavender against which the bobbing purple heads of alliums pop.

Out and About

Set in East Farleigh and minutes from Maidstone, the house is within easy access to the North Downs and all the amenities of a larger town. The Kent Downs are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, stretching from Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover, replete with all manner of trails for cycling, walking, and even horseback riding. For more cultivated nature, the house is just a 40-minute drive from the beautifully landscaped gardens at Sissinghurst.

East Farleigh is an idyllic village with a dramatic 14th-century bridge, comprising four arches spanning the River Medway, perfect for summertime strolls along its meandering banks. The Walnut Tree, ever popular and a minutes walk from the house does a great burger.

More shopping, dining and recreation can be sought in Maidstone, a 10-minute drive from the house. Maidstone is home to the beloved Hazlitt Theatre, the inspired Maidstone Museum, and Mote Park with its leisure centre and outdoor facilities including sports fields and a climbing wall.

The area is home to many well-regarded schools, including Brunswick House, Sandling, Loose Junior, St Jons C of E, Senacre Wood and Roseacre for primaries. Allington Primary is Ofsted-rated “Outstanding”. Maidstone Invictus Grammar is likewise “Outstanding”.

Maidstone is well-connected for access to rural Kent, the coast and central London. Services run from Maidstone East to London Victoria in just over an hour, and from Maidstone West to London St Pancras in approximately 49 minutes. Both stations are a 12-minute drive from the house

Council Tax Band: E