Grade II Listed Medieval Home

Architecture and interior

A unique Grade II Listed four-bedroom home with many intact period features.  Originally constructed as a Wealden Hall in the mid 15^th century (c1450), with alterations carried out c1600 including the addition of staircases where formally there had been ladders, fireplaces where formally there had been a fire pit, and the addition of plasterwork.  The charming free-standing kitchen which opens to the garden was renovated in the 1920s.

The much-loved illustrator of children’s books and well-known artist Sir Quentin Blake owned the house from 1972 – 2022 and the house is probably exactly as you might imagine the home of someone who created the visual look of characters such as The BFG, Matilda and The Twits.  The current owners carried out extensive renovations to make the house warm, dry and with contemporary comforts while being entirely respectful of the history and provenance of this wonderful home.

The house has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, downstairs loo, flexible spaces for working from home and a beautiful picture-book garden with mature trees and shrubs.

What can’t be measured in terms of numbers and value is the narrative of a building which has stood for nearly 600 years and has seen a litany of personal stories, historic upheavals and unfathomable changes in taste and domestic evolution.

The work that’s been done by the current owners who both have professional backgrounds in the creative industries, mean that the house will probably still be standing in hundreds of years’ time.  Recent work includes a total overhaul of all the issues which were previously making the house damp.  “There’s little point in covering up what lies beneath” explains the current owner.  “You need to work out why and what is causing damp etc and deal with it professionally using the right materials which will allow the fabric of the house to breathe”.

The garden has been landscaped to offer two sunny terraces with glorious English planting and discrete lighting.  “Rose of Jericho” paints used throughout using natural distemper allow the walls to “breathe”.

New plumbing, an overhaul and complete updating of the electrics, repair of all the chimneys, repair of the roof, repair of all of the windows, installation of a Banham lock and alarm system.

In the neighbourhood
The house sits in the heart of Hastings Old Town but Hastings Town Centre and St Leonards are within an easy walk. The beach is a 3-minute walk from the house. Everything is close at hand from the independent shops, galleries and cinemas of St Leonards, the convenience of the shopping in the centre of the Town and the charm of Hastings Old Town.
St Leonards and Hastings continue to thrive as hubs for creative thinkers and the number of independent shops, galleries, restaurants and bars also grows. Within easy reach of the house are all the facilities that make living in this seaside town so attractive. On Norman Road there is an independent cinema, Kino, lauded restaurants including Galleria and St Clements as well as a growing number of interesting independently owned shops, wine suppliers and galleries. On Kings Road is Bayte, now gaining recognition for its modern British style of serving fresh food with good provenance. Also on this road is Farmyard, The Royal and more casual eating and drinking opportunities.

In Hastings there’s another array of great independent pubs and restaurants including The Crown, The Albion, Fagins.

The whole area is known for its inclusive and accommodating style and for many years now people from all parts of the creative industries have made this charming seaside town their home or second home.

Transport and Connections
Hastings Station is the nearest station which connects to London Victoria, London Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo East as well as, via a change at Ashford the high-speed connection to Kings Cross St Pancras International. Brighton, Eastbourne, Gatwick Airport and Ashford International are all easy to access direct by train.

Grade II Listed Building (entry no 1293833)