For sale: an idyllic Sussex farmhouse with its own vineyard
The south east of England is home to a number of award-winning vineyards and for anyone who fancies trying their hand at wine-making, Dillions Vineyard – a historic farmhouse in the heart of Sussex – could be a dream acquisition.
Accessed via a private lane, the property is in the pretty village of Staplefield in West Sussex, situated within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB). It's a swoon-worthy listing for anyone who dreams of rural country life: as well as the Grade II listed farmhouse, which has been sensitively renovated, there is a luxurious separate annexe, Old Stables Cottage, plus the commercial vineyard ready for a new vintner to take the helm.
The main six-bedroom house sits in grounds artfully designed with distinct zones, including a charming cottage-style garden with a historic well and Cotswold stone gravel paths lined with verbena, roses, Mexican daisies and geraniums.
There's even a terrace for entertaining, complete with hedged parterres and a sunken spa pool. You'll also find a vegetable garden, greenhouse and treehouse, as well as two ponds.
The house has received additions over the years with the central building thought to date back to the Tudor period. On the ground floor, historic features like exposed beams and an inglenook fireplace lend plenty of character to the reception rooms.
A spacious breakfast room and cosy snug are later additions, with the hand-built Martin Moore kitchen a downstairs highlight. Upstairs, the luxurious master suite on the first floor has a walk-in-wardrobe and dressing room, as well as an ensuite bathroom. Here you'll also find five further bedrooms, plus a family bathroom. Country-cottage interiors throughout give a relaxed but refined feel.
With its open-plan kitchen and living area with a wood burner, Old Stables cottage spans 671 square feet and provides a cosy hideaway for guests. This annexe comes with two bedrooms and a shower room, so there's plenty of space for visitors to get comfy.
As for the vineyard, which can be purchased as a separate lot, there are three traditional sparkling wine varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – plus Bacchus for a still white wine and the hybrid Cabaret Noir. There are plans for expansion this year, including 400 Pinot Noir vines.
The house may feel rural but the villages of Handcross to the north and Cuckfield to the south provide amenities such as a GP surgery, butcher, baker and other food shops. The bigger town of Haywards Heath sits six miles to the south, while the beautiful Nymans Gardens, run by the National Trust, is two miles away.
So how much does this idyllic home cost? It's on the market with Strutt & Parker for £3,750,000.
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