Peirce House Charing, Kent

Peirce House Charing, Kent

Peirce House High Street, Charing, Kent TN27 0HU A lovingly cared for historic Grade II* listed family home set in the heart of a popular village, with a very generous garden Ashford 6 miles, Maidstone 13 miles, M20 (Junctions 8 and 9) 8 and 5 miles Entrance vestibule Drawing room Sitting room Dining room Study Kitchen/breakfast room Utility room Cloakroom Cellar Vaulted master bedroom Crown post master bedroom 4 Further bedrooms 3 Bathrooms Office/ Bedroom 7 Parking area Swimming pool Large gardens Just over 1/3 of an acre The property Peirce House is understood to date to the 15th Century, although a house has probably stood on the site for much longer. The earliest history of the house can be most clearly seen in the crown post roof in the principal bedroom, showing that the house was once a much larger, open hall house. The main jettied elevation, with its distinctive gables and herringbone brick infill and impressive double door entrance, dates to the early 16th Century when the house was remodelled, including the high quality moulded and carved timbers. From then, it stood perhaps largely unchanged until the 1960s when a further remodelling saw the house take on something closer to its current form. The house we see today comprises perhaps half of the larger house that was once on the site, but it has been joined to the service wing, which once stood apart from the main house to protect against the risk of damage from fire. More recently the house has been carefully restored by the current owners (who have been custodians for about 27 years), during which time they have rectified some of the less sympathetic changes undertaken 50 or so years ago. There remains scope for further sympathetic adjustment or re-ordering of the layout, perhaps to provide an annex. Peirce House offers a truly unique opportunity to acquire an exceptional home in one of Kent s better serviced villages. The history of the ownership of the house is exceptionally well documented, and over the centuries the house has been home to some of Kent s best known gentry families, including the Peirces from whom it takes its name. Earlier owners included the Brents and the Derings, and more recently the Wakelys and Sayers. At one time it was arranged as almshouses, before being reinstated as a family home. A comprehensive history can be found in Archaeologia Cantiana. The fine interior has too many features of note to mention in detail here, but some of the highlights include the elaborately moulded ceiling and cornice timbers, the arched doorways with carved spandrels, the dragon beams and the doorways that once led to garderobes that are still seen on the first floor, together with the crown post and exposed timber ceiling in the upper part of the old hall. The panelling in the dining room below and the fine staircase which links the two floors are also of note, as are the wall paintings on the first floor. The service wing has a superb period fireplace in what is now the drawing room, which is thought to have been relocated from elsewhere in the house many years ago, as well as a wonderful exposed timber ceiling in the bedroom above. The house also has several original period doors, two priest holes and a medieval stone window.

The layout is as shown on the floorplans overleaf and the well-proportioned rooms lend themselves to use in a variety of ways. Two of the finest rooms are on the first floor, currently used as bedrooms; the dining room with massive inglenook fireplace and panelling is also worthy of special mention. An overview of the house would not be complete without mention of the walled gardens which, unusually for a village house, surround the property. They are divided into rooms with different themes and purposes. The orchard is well planted with specimen fruit trees; the swimming pool garden has an extensive lawn and terrace around the pool, the brick paved courtyard is enclosed on three sides by the house, and the garden to the front is well planted with roses. A parking area is found to the front of the house. Location Charing is popular for its traditional village facilities and benefits from a broad variety of shops, pubs, restaurants, churches, a private health and fitness club, primary school and a doctors surgery. Transport links are well supported, with the M20 Junctions 8 and 9 being close by and Charing station providing access to London Victoria and Ashford International stations. Nearby, the cathedral city of Canterbury, the county town of Maidstone, and the market town of Ashford have an excellent selection of leisure facilities, a choice of schools and the International rail station (Ashford International), which benefits from the 37 minute High Speed train service to London St Pancras as well as services to the Continent. General Local Authorities: Ashford Borough Council (01233 331111); Kent County Council (03000 414141) Services: Peirce House has all mains services; gas-fired heating. The swimming pool has solar heating.

Floorplans Gross internal area 4,374 sq ft (406.4 sq m) (Including cellar) For identification purposes only. Office / Bedroom 7 Second Floor Bedroom 3.62m x 3.50m 11'9'' x 11'6'' Utility Room 5.60m x 4.00m 18'3'' x 13'0'' Drawing Room Vaulted Master Bedroom 7.04m x 5.73m 23'0'' x 18'9'' 5.74m x 5.30m 18'9'' x 17'3'' Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty s Stationery Office. Crown Copyright (100018525). NOT TO SCALE Directions From Ashford, or Maidstone, take the A20 and on arriving in Charing turn into the High Street. As you ascend the hill, Peirce House is number 33, and is found on the left hand side. Store Room 6.49m x 3.83m 21'3'' x 12'6'' Kitchen / Breakfast Room 6.82m x 3.58m 22'3'' x 11'9'' Study 4.04m x 3.28m 13'3'' x 10'9'' Sitting Room 4.58m x 3.10m 15'0'' x 10'3'' Dining Room 5.87m x 5.69m 19'3'' x 18'9'' Bedroom 3.27m x 2.73m 10'9'' x 9'0'' Bedroom 4.22m x 3.74m 13'9'' x 12'3'' Restricted Height Crown Post Master Bedroom 5.93m x 5.90m 19'6'' x 19'3'' Canterbury 2 St Margaret s Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2SL 01227 451123 canterbury@struttandparker.com struttandparker.com 55 offices across England and Scotland, including 10 offices in Central London Cellar Ground Floor IMPORTANT NOTICE Strutt & Parker LLP gives notice that: 1. These particulars do not constitute an offer or contract or part thereof. 2. All descriptions, photographs and plans are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements or representations of fact. All measurements are approximate and not necessarily to scale. Any prospective purchaser must satisfy themselves of the correctness of the information within the particulars by inspection or otherwise. 3. Strutt & Parker LLP does not have any authority to give any representations or warranties whatsoever in relation to this property (including but not limited to planning/building regulations), nor can it enter into any contract on behalf of the Vendor. 4. Strutt & Parker LLP does not accept responsibility for any expenses incurred by prospective purchasers in inspecting properties which have been sold, let or withdrawn. 5. If there is anything of particular importance to you, please contact this office and Strutt & Parker will try to have the information checked for you. Photographs taken January 2016. Particulars prepared January 2016. 3 6 9 First Floor 1 2 3 12 4 15 5 Feet Metres Bedroom 2.75m x 2.29m 9'0'' x 7'6'' For Identification Purposes Only. 2016 Trueplan (UK) Limited (01892) 614 881