Swap the roar of the city for the roar of the sea with this pair of unique seaside homes, from a  Georgian worker’s cottage to a converted Victorian pub.

Refreshing Regency revamp

This two-bedroom cottage in St Leonard’s was built in the 1830s by lauded architect Decimus Burton (famed for their work around Regents Park) as accommodation for domestic staff. Today, the location is a hub for creative thinkers, writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians, interesting independent shops and an independent cinema.

When the current owner moved in, the house was dark, covered in pebbledash and not very pretty: “I had to have some vision to see how full of light and simple yet elegant this house could be.”

The ground floor had already been knocked through, and the owner went on to add new double doors opening onto the courtyard garden and flooding the entire ground floor with light.

The bright downstairs dining kitchen has a separate street entrance, while the front is a long brick-paved garden that provides off-street parking at one end, and a lovely area next to the house to enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by at any time of day.

For sale at £575,000 – click here for the image gallery and floor plans

From tavern to townhouse

This welcoming home is just a couple of minutes walk from the seafront at St Leonard’s and has a long history of hospitality. 

Back in 1846, the building was opened as The Coach and Horses pub, and its first landlord owned a number of pleasure boats on the beach.

Today it’s a three-storey cottage with two living rooms, one of which would make a brilliant studio, plus an indoor garden room and two large double-sized bedrooms.

The interior unfolds over almost 1,200 sq ft, and the 300 sq ft open-plan central living space is a wonderful place to relax or entertain.

The opulent interior exudes a richly warm and inviting atmosphere, and the house is so well positioned for a wander down to the front, the independent scene on Norman Road, and the lovely town centre.

For sale at £425,000 – click here for the image gallery and floor plans

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