Country houses for sale

A breathtaking ground floor apartment in a Victorian country house with a wonderful courtyard and expansive terrace overlooking the grounds beyond

Hast Hill House, in Bromley — situated between Sevenoaks and London — is a Victorian manor house that's been split into luxury apartments. And of the six, one really stands out, as Lydia Stangroom writes.

Would you buy a home purely on the strength of the kitchen?

‘Obviously not’ is the answer that springs most easily to mind, but then you come across a place such as Trinity — an apartment within a Victorian manor called Hast Hill House — which is for sale at £1.8 million through Knight Frank.

This is a fresh take on an apartment set within an historic building. There is no cavernous former ballroom masking as an entrance hall here, nor any overbearing dark oak features or out-of-date interiors.

Instead, there is tasteful parquet wood flooring throughout, a fresh and colourful open plan kitchen/breakfast room immersed in natural light and a large, south-facing, private terrace overlooking the gardens beyond.

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You see, this very much feels like a property with its own identity, which just so happens to be set against the backdrop of the beautiful Hast Hill House, rather than — and what is very often the case — an apartment created within a larger house whose identity naturally migrates into the apartments.

It’s unique, and sets itself apart from the other apartments at Hast Hill in that it is the only one with its own private entrance. Trinity also benefits from a private courtyard, plus ‘the best’ terrace in the whole house with a stone balustrade.

There are five acres of communal gardens and grounds, plus a further eight acres of paddock,  a tennis court and allocated garaging.

So far so good.

The approach to Hast Hill takes you through a gated private driveway, over the softly undulating landscape and well-maintained gardens.

Hast Hill was first built in the mid 1880s as a country house, before assuming a quick identity change as an auxiliary military hospital during the First World War. The six luxury apartments came in the 1990s and the current owners of Trinity have carried out further work in recent years.

The ground floor comprises of the wonderful kitchen/breakfast room which links into the sitting room and has access out to the private courtyard and onto the terrace. There is also a bedroom, bathroom and ‘family room’/ gym which also leads out to the courtyard.

Downstairs are a further two bedrooms, both of which are well-proportioned, a utility room and large family bathroom.

Whatever you thought an apartment within a historic country house looked like, Trinity is sure to smash those ideas — and for all the right reasons.

Trinity is currently on the market with Knight Frank at guide price of £1.8 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Bromley: What you need to know

Location: South East London. The area is served by a number of train stations, including Bromley South, Bromley North, Hayes, West Wickham and Fieldway.

Atmosphere: The area is well equipped with supermarkets, shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs, including The Fox Inn and The Greyhound.

Things to do: There are a number of parks in the area plus the Sundridge Park Golf Course. Access into central London is easy and perfect for a trip to the theatres, galleries or shops.

Schools: Wickham Common Primary School and Baston House School are rated ‘good’ in Ofsted reviews, whilst Hayes School is rated ‘outstanding’.

See more property for sale in the area.


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