Stream Lane, Hawkhurst

An address that rarely comes up

Stream Lane is one of Hawkhurst's quiet, tree-lined lanes - a green, canopied approach to the old village, where houses are held for the long term and rarely come to market. Petersfield sits behind a five-bar gate and mature double hedgerow, set back over 25 metres from the lane, revealing itself only as you sweep up the drive to the circular turning at the door.

What sets it apart is seclusion: wrapped in towering rhododendrons and mature planting, the gardens are a genuine sanctuary, where the loudest sound is birdsong.

The setting

The house offers the best of both worlds - deep rural peace, with the village a stroll away. The Moor, Hawkhurst's ancient heart with its 14th-century church and acclaimed Eight Bells pub, is a quarter-mile up the lane. A Kent Wildlife Trust reserve borders the lane directly, with grazing pasture and countryside views to the rear, and footpaths leading straight out into the Kent Weald.

The house

Built in the 1930s, Petersfield offers light, generously proportioned rooms full of period character, arranged to make the most of the gardens on every side. A south-facing covered verandah with tiled flooring leads into a striking reception hall running the full depth of the house, with stripped pine flooring, a brick fireplace and a part-curved ceiling, opening straight onto the rear terrace. Off the hall: a drawing room with a broad bow window, window seat and its own fireplace, and an equally handsome bow-windowed dining room. A fourth bedroom or study to the rear has garden views and an en-suite shower, while the kitchen/breakfast room overlooks the garden with fitted corner seating, a walk-in larder and utility area beyond.

Upstairs, a spacious landing doubles as a study area, with separate WC. The principal bedroom looks over the front garden and has a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite shower, connecting to a third bedroom or dressing room; a further bedroom across the landing has its own shower and built-in storage.

Gardens and grounds - the real story

The beautifully maintained gardens are a particular feature of the property, extending to approximately 1.25 acres.. A paved terrace opens onto a level lawn crowned by an ancient oak, with the rhododendron screen - rising to five and six metres - drawing in afternoon and evening sun to create a genuine sun-trap, while the eastern barbecue terrace holds the last light well into the evening. An archway leads to a further lawn, vegetable garden and specimen trees - monkey puzzle, acer, beech and sycamore - bordering light woodland, with a potting shed and garden store, and a triple cart-lodge garage to the front housing an EV charger.

The opportunity

Warm, characterful and ready to enjoy - with generous proportions, offering rare scope to update to modern taste on a lane where homes so rarely appear.

If you lived here

Well-placed for schools (Cranbrook School catchment, with St Ronan's nearby), amenities (Hawkhurst village, a mile away, with an independent butcher, bakery, two supermarkets, shops, restaurants, an independent cinema, supermarket and sports clubs) and rail links to London Charing Cross/London Bridge from Etchingham (5 miles) and Staplehurst (10 miles) - all within the High Weald National Landscape, near Bodiam Castle, Bedgebury and Bewl Water.