Southover High Street, Lewes, East Sussex

Believed to date to the era of the early 19th century, Number 8 Southover Hight Street has a street-side visual appeal with pastel-painted elevations, sash windows, a recessed 20th century bay window at the frontage and an arched entrance portal. Sheltered between two handsome, lofty period properties, the cottage has an appearance of being diminutive in comparative size, and inside the timeliness for a makeover is immediately apparent, but this town centre gem provides irrefutable potential. The ground floor reception rooms include a sitting room, enhanced by the natural light from the bay window and centred around a feature fireplace, alongside an adjacent dining room. To the rear, an inner hall links to the kitchen which has an outlook to the courtyard garden, with cabinets fitted to three walls and a retro glazed hatch opening to the dining room. A stairway rises to the first floor rooms which provide two bedrooms with front aspect viewpoints. The family bathroom is on the upper level, with an adjoining cloakroom which complements a further cloakroom facility on the floor below.

Forming part of a pretty street-scene, the frontage of the cottage sits alongside the pedestrian walkway towards the top of an inclined lane. Benefitting from an al fresco setting, the property has a rear external door which opens onto an outside niche which is enclosed by retaining walls. A series of steps rises to an upper courtyard garden area, which is paved with a walled surround and planted beds at the boundaries. Climbing shrubs adorn the perimeters and include a wisteria which rambles over a timber trellis atop the wall. There is external access to a boiler room and storage outbuilding which offers a hide-away for garden equipment and paraphernalia.

Southover High Street is ideally situated for easy access to Lewes’s vibrant High Street and to the mainline railway station which offers services to London Victoria (1hr 14mins), as well as to the coastal towns of Brighton and Eastbourne. The town provides an eclectic collection of shops, as well as eateries and public houses, with cultural and recreational facilities including a cinema and theatres; golf, sports and football clubs, and a seasonal outdoor swimming pool. The A27 lies just to the south of Lewes and provides fast access to the A23/M23, Gatwick Airport and the national motorway network. The coastal, business and entertainment city of Brighton & Hove is nearby and well-regarded schooling in the vicinity includes Western Road Community Primary School, Southover C of E Primary School and Lewes Old Grammar School.