Gateways to house heaven
THIS WEEK: Glorious old gatehouses – including this Sussex stunner
THE Lodge is so picturesque that it appears on old postcards. The 19th Century gatehouse spans the entrance to Mar es field Park, near Uckfield in East Sussex, which was once a grand estate.
The main house was demolished in 1924, but happily, the gatehouse remained unscathed.
‘It was a Victorian Gothic folly,’ explained Paul Templeton, 41, who inherited the four-bedroom property from his late mother, Delia. ‘My mother had lived in a gatehouse before in Berkshire. When she saw this for sale, she fell in love with it.’
The original building comprised an arched gateway with crenellated roof, gargoyles and a decorative tower. There was also a small adjoining stone cottage with mullioned oriel window.
By the mid-1950s two upper floors and three bedrooms had been added, and the house extended to one side. Later ground-floor extensions of a selfcontained annexe and huge kitchendiner significantly increased the size.
‘Gatehouses appeal because they have lots of character ,’ says Darren Middleton, an estate agent with Hamptons, who are selling the property. ‘ They were the first impression visitors had of a grand estate, so were designed to impress. The Lodge is different in that it has that same charm but also a lot more space than usual.’
The attractive entrance hall is actually the base of the tower and has arched, stained-glass windows. The tower’s original open stonework is glazed to create a lantern roof that floods the space with light.
The open-plan family room and lounge are cosy, with an original, medieval-style stone fireplace and leaded windows. The style changes completely with a contemporary kitchen and dining room t hat wouldn’t look out of place in a swanky city flat. A glass, atriumstyle roof and full bi-fold doors on two sides let in light and create a connection with a verdant garden outside. ‘Mum was a great plantswoman,’ says property developer Paul. ‘She wanted to create a cottage-style garden – it’s one of the beauties of the house.’
Three of the four bedrooms are on the first floor, one guestroom has the beautiful stone window, while the master suite has a dressing room, bathroom and beamed ceiling. On the top floor, a hidden door leads from the bedroom into a secret loft space. ‘ The door’s designed to look like it’s part of the wall and opens if you press it,’ says Paul. ‘My children used it as a playroom and thought it was magical.’
Paul says one of the things his mother most enjoyed was the closeknit atmosphere of the village of Maresfield, which he calls a ‘rural idyll’ – although it is within easy reach of Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield and Brighton.
‘ The house would suit people who want something away from it all that’s well connected, spacious, with history and real character,’ he says.