Graylings, Caterham, Surrey

This astutely contemporary four-bedroom house sits high on a sloping site, superbly positioned for sweeping views across the rolling Surrey Hills. Bespoke and architect-designed, Graylings was built by Baufritz and completed in 2022. It sits on the leafy fringes of Woldingham, with generous windows and glazed doors that meld inside with out. Artfully landscaped gardens designed by Matthew Wilson Gardens emanate from the house, teeming with grasses, shrubs, mature trees and specialist wood-effect retaining walls, along with a series of outbuildings that include a tea room, domed greenhouse and a rejuvenating sauna.



The Tour



A large driveway extends in front of Graylings, with custom gates by Penchard. Its pitched, blackened timber profile rises high behind. On one side, a matching garage sits with an electric charging point. There are three additional visitor parking spaces and two electric charging points by the kitchen garden.



Entry is from the back of the house, via steps that lead to a butter-yellow front door at the rear of the upper level with video entry systems. A neat canopy provides a handy sheltered spot on arrival. The house takes a H-shape that reveals unexpected volumes and brightness within; orientated on a north-south axis, it charts the changing daylight and captures both sunrises and sunsets.



Beyond, the bright and versatile crux of the house unfolds. A pitched double-height ceiling soars overhead, working with white-painted walls to amplify a sense of volume. Organised in an open plan, the room has space for a dining table and a seating area in front of a staggeringly tall symmetrical bank of glazing with restorative bucolic views. Here, doors slide open to glass Juliet balconies that render the views unbroken.



At the furthest end is a sitting space, with a bank of built-in storage on one side. The area is subtly delineated by a fine Bellfire fireplace, surrounded by a Cullifords green marble counter and with a dramatic black flue.



With KNX intelligent lighting and music system, the house has three independent zones with hidden speakers throughout. Behind is a custom kitchen by Holloways, with two Bora hobs and extractors and Miele appliances. A wall of Mortimer cabinetry is built around a garden-facing picture window. Glass-fronted shelves provide display space, while deep cupboards are ideal for tidying away day-to-day items. A large Cesarstone-topped island provides additional storage and has a Franke sink, with a water softener and Quooker boiling water tap. With a cantilevered section with space for two stools, there is room for a generous dining table and plenty of chairs opposite.



Stairs ascend to the ground floor; here, a second reception space is surrounded by glazed sliding doors that, when opened, facilitate an entire melding with the garden. The room is redolent of the permeability between inside and out seen in contemporary Japanese architecture, one of Graylings' primary sources of inspiration. Adjacent is a hallway, also with a wall of glazed sliding doors; this connects the house’s east and west wings, across which its four bedrooms are distributed.



The principal is an especially spacious room with a wall of pitched glazing; a door slides open to provide access to a private terrace and the garden beyond. The room sits secluded from the rest of the plan, fostering a feel of total tranquillity. One wall is painted an olive green that resonates with the grasses and shrubs visible outdoors. A neat en suite shower room adjoins, along with a separate dressing room.



At the westerly end of the house, the three remaining bedrooms are all similarly peaceful with two having en suites and one a study-bedroom. There is a separate family bathroom at this end of the plan, along with access to a plant room and to the immaculately landscaped gardens.



The home is also equipped with UPS and battery backup and power surge protection.



Outdoor Space



The house's private grounds, which stretch to around an acre, are visible from every aspect. Biodiversity was a driving principle in the design; a green roof by Bridgman and Bridgman crowns part of the building and attracts bees and other native insects.



Laden with texture and colour, the gardens have been masterfully landscaped by Matthew Wilson Gardens and Gardenlink and are imbued with a distinctly Mediterranean feel with wood-effect concrete retainer walls. Several terraces extend from the primary plan, providing a variety of spaces that follow the sun throughout the day. At the south-east of the plot, a built-in curved bench surrounded by rustling grasses and shrubs provides a space for quiet contemplation. There is also a striking water feature that creates a low-level, serene background noise and a pocket garden with edible plants.



The gardens encompass several outbuildings, including a greenhouse by Solardome, a garden office, a tea house and a garden store. There is also a tucked-away four-person sauna and an outside shower by bespoke designer Finnmar.



The Area



The house is located on the east side of the Caterham Gap, in the North Downs area of Surrey. The local village of Warlingham is a five-minute drive away with an array of attractive shops, restaurants, a community-run library and the charming 16th-century pub, The White Lion. Excellent restaurants include India Dining, Chez Vous and La Botija, as well as gastropub Botley Hill Farmhouse and micropub The Radius Arms.



The area is green and leafy, with swathes of the accessible Metropolitan Green Belt and protected woodland within easy reach. The leisure centres in Caterham-on-the-Hill and Oxted provide many sporting options, including swimming pools. Four major golf courses are within a 10-minute drive and three theatres are accessible within half an hour. For an evening of jazz, the superb Watermill Jazz club at Dorking buzzes. There are several nearby inland sailing clubs and the southern coastal resorts, Brighton, Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea can all be reached within an hour.



There is a wide range of excellent schools nearby. Whitgift, Caterham and Woldingham are popular independent options, while the grammar schools at Wallington are within easy reach. There is a selection of very good state schools in Warlingham, Oxted, Caterham-on-the-Hill and Riddlesdown.



The house is walking distance from Woldingham station with regular 35-minute trains into London. Warlingham is also close to the A22 and is approximately three miles north of the M25 (J6). It has easy links to Gatwick, Heathrow and the Channel Tunnel, approximately 20, 50 and 60 minutes drive away respectively. Upper Warlingham station, an eight-minute walk, is on the East Grinstead and Uckfield line that connects to London Victoria in 28 minutes and London Bridge in 35-40 minutes. Whyteleafe, just over 10 minutes by foot, is on the Caterham line, which serves London Bridge.



Council Tax Band: H