Land and property company BTF Partnership is offering for sale a private and versatile property in the historic Alkham Valley designated Area of National Beauty, including an established vineyard, holiday cottages, ancient woodland and further potential for business development, with a guide price of £3,300,000.
Chalksole Manor combines modern luxurious countryside living with easy accessibility – said to be ideal for both local and city-based buyers seeking a weekend escape or permanent lifestyle change.
Chalksole Manor consists of an 8000ft2 fully restored and modernised main residence originally built in the arts and crafts style in the 1920s, complete with generous reception rooms, galleried landing, six bedrooms and six bathrooms, as well as a large modern leisure and party suite including an indoor pool, steam room, gym, large bar/recreation room with a large office suite above.
The property also includes a one-bedroom self-contained annexe ideal for staff or a dependent relative.
On the grounds of the house is a modern four-bay garage and a range of outbuildings including a workshop, tool store, summer house/ kitchen and large greenhouse.
Accessed separately from the road is The Old Stables, a one-bedroom cottage which adjoins the two-bedroom Groom’s Cottage, both currently used as holiday lets, creating an additional income source.
To the East of the main house and accessed via a separate entrance on the road or through the land is the Chalksole Manor Vineyard.
The vineyard was planted in 2007 and comprises 9,000 vines of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for the production of English sparkling wine. With an average yield of 8 tons per year, the current owners sell the grapes to winemakers directly.
There is scope for a new business opportunity for own wine production, and with the current planting, it is estimated this could generate an average of 7-8,000 bottles per year.
The vineyard could be expanded further with the acquisition of additional land and a 3,600ft2 modern agricultural barn from the vendors that are currently not part of this sale.
Gardens, land and ancient bluebell woodland extend to 27.44 acres in total, and there is also scope for those with equestrian interests, with paddocks area to the South of the house.
The local riding trails across the North Kent Downs are some of the best in the county, with far-reaching views across the local countryside.
The original arts and crafts house was built around 1920 for Sir Thomas Henry Devereux Berridge, KBE (1857 – 1924), a former Liberal MP for Coventry and Leamington.
Berridge was knighted in 1912 and made a KBE in 1920 for his war work, in particular for his chairmanship of the executive committee of the Royal Flying Corps later the Royal Air Force Voluntary Hospitals between 1916 and 1919.
The house was later owned by a London photographer who left it to his housekeeper, but it fell into significant disrepair before it was bought from probate by the current owners in 2002.
The current owners have significantly invested in the house during the initial renovation and over the years, and have upgraded technology for modern living with Cat 5 cabling, Lutron Lighting and Crestron control systems.
Alex Cornwallis of BTF Partnership said: “This is the perfect house for someone looking for a private, rural and accessible country property with additional income streams and a vineyard which can be run as a hobby or developed for those with more commercial aspirations.
“The existing holiday lets already generate a useful additional income stream, with the potential for further development.
“For many people, it would take them years to find and build a similar property with such potential for further growth, and it will be of interest to those looking to avoid this and the challenges of getting the vineyard to its already productive stage.”
The Alkham Valley is situated in the Kent Downs National Landscape and only 6.1 miles from Folkestone Station, with high-speed links to London St Pancras (57 mins) and a similar distance to the Channel Tunnel terminal also at Folkestone.
The historic city of Canterbury is 14.9 miles to the North West with an excellent range of shops, schools (public and state grammar) and universities.
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