Detached house for sale in Punchbowl, Madehust, West Sussex BN18

Punchbowl is a wonderfully expansive and characterful home set in the heart of the South Downs National Park, surrounded by bucolic, undulating scenery. The house has a late 18th-century core, with later Victorian and Edwardian additions built in a highly sympathetic manner. The subject of an extensive and highly sensitive programme of restoration works in recent years by Garnett Architecture, the house encompasses seven bedrooms and a series of versatile, beautifully designed living spaces across almost 6,000 sq ft of internal accommodation. Immaculately maintained and sprawling gardens of some 3.3 acres have been beautifully landscaped and include an outdoor heated swimming pool, tennis court and several entertaining spaces.

Setting the Scene

Punchbowl is discretely positioned off a quiet country lane in the small village of Madehurst in the West Sussex Arun District. The larger town of Arundel, with its beautiful Castle and namesake River Arun, is nearby. The house is 20 minutes from the sea and Chichester Harbour, while the South Downs Way runs past the edge of the village, one of several walks surrounding the house. The choice of local schools is exceptional and trains from nearby Arundel run half-hourly direct services to London Victoria in just 87 minutes.

Set on a gentle slope, the house is believed to have once been comprised of two joined cottages, part of the nearby Dale Park estate, with one of the then cottages acting as laundry for the main house; the cottages were turned into a single home in the mid-20th century and further adapted by the current owners. The gardens surrounding the house reflect the rippling landscape of Punchbowl's downland setting with walks extending from the garden gate, continuing for miles.

The Grand Tour

From a quiet country lane, a winding drive opens from two brick piers with stone finials atop, through sloping lawns dotted with trees and to a pea gravel parking area. The coach house, cart lodge and garage are immediately ahead, with the main house to the left.

A brick paved path leads to the home’s main entrance past a parterre garden, topiary, a fig tree and climbing rose to the entrance porch. The house is built from red brick and flint, with paned sash and casement windows; tall chimney stacks punctuate the pitch's clay tile roofs. The central part of the house is late 18th century, with the second phase of the house’s west range construction built in the late 19th century. The third phase, the creation of the east range, was completed in the early 20th century, with all of the home's components blending harmoniously with one another and creating a wonderful flow.

The rear of the house was adapted in the early 21st century to create further accommodation. Most of the house’s design and utilities were reconciled at this time, with the reconfigured rear elevation combining the red brick and flint, with weatherboard elevations to mimic the agricultural qualities of the surrounding area; the result is a cleverly cohesive design throughout.

Entering the main hallway, Jura polished limestone flags extend underfoot. Underfloor heating is both here, in the adjacent kitchen and the cinema to the rear of the house; the remainder is warmed by cast-iron radiators. The winding staircase lies directly ahead, lit from above with natural light flowing from a skylight set into the roof. Walls are painted in Farrow and Ball's 'Lamp Room Gray'; Paper and Paint Library’s tonal colours are also used throughout the home. The ground-floor rooms form an elegant enfilade from the hall, creating a wonderful vista that connects all the south-facing rooms.

A sitting room lies to the east of the hall. In this Victorian part of the house, original parquet flooring lends warmth, with walls papered in a kangaroo paw plant and lyre birds design from Porter’s Paints. An acanthus leaf plaster cornice frames the elevations and there is a French limestone chimneypiece positioned centrally, facing the canted bay window, with a cast-iron log basket and working fire.

The kitchen and breakfast room are some 35 feet in depth, with an open-pitch roof and exposed beams. Cabinetry is bespoke and painted deep blue with Belgian blue stone employed as work surfaces; an antique oak haberdasher unit acts as a central island and workstation with thick-cut Carrara marble resting above. A double butler sink is set beside a window looking out to the gardens, and a further prep sink is near the black Aga stove, which has four ovens plus a companion unit, with gas hob and two further ovens. An open brick hearth is positioned in the breakfast and soft seating area and a glazed door leads to the garden.

Descending a four-tread curved staircase from the kitchen, the dining room set in the Edwardian part of the house also has oak parquet flooring, with walls painted a rich yellow called Chinese Emperor by Paper and Paint Library. A further glass-paned door here opens to the outdoor kitchen area and terrace. Adjacent is the study and library, painted in 'Railings' by Farrow and Ball, with plank floorboards, bespoke fitted bookcases and a warming wood-burning stove. French windows open to the veranda, set under the zinc-topped canopy.

A rear hallway leads to a further suite of rooms, including a very generously sized utility room and a secondary service kitchen, while also acting as a laundry room. There is also a games and music room to the rear, with access to the garden terrace next to a spacious wet room, also with further direct access to the garden terrace and swimming pool. The home cinema is brilliantly designed, with sunken seating and surround sound. Folding glass doors open to the garden and there is a wood burner for cosy film nights. To the rear of the cinema is a boot room, again with direct access to the garden, and at the rear east range of the house is a guest bedroom with en suite shower room.

Ascending to the first floor, there are six further bedrooms, including the principal bedroom suite; three bedrooms have en suite facilities. There is also an ironing room, which could easily make for a further bedroom if required.

The principal bedroom suite is set in the east range of the house, separated from the remaining bedrooms on the floor by the central staircase. It has an open-pitch roof with the ceiling papered in Cole and Son's iconic hummingbirds design, and a casement window set in the gable end allows wonderful views of Fairmile Bottom in the distance. There is also a walk-in closet and a separate dressing room. The en suite bathroom is brilliantly conceived, with nickel-plated brassware from Lefroy Brooks and sanitaryware from Aston Matthews. A cast-iron roll-top bath is set beside the window with views to the vineyard, and the shower area is clad in Marquina black veined marble. An integrated speaker system is also fitted in this room and there are two separate pedestal sinks.

The remaining five bedrooms are set in the central and west ranges of the house and have use of a secondary staircase leading to the ground floor rear hallway. Two bedrooms have en suite facilities, and three bedrooms share a further bathroom and a separate WC.

The Great Outdoors

The carefully conceived gardens at Punchbowl envelop the house, with the south-facing acreage to the front of the home comprising most of the outdoor space and formed of a series of gently sloping lawns, with an outdoor tennis court positioned to the southwest of the house. There are trees below the tennis court, and bluebells in springtime. Planting has a subtle Mediterranean quality in parts, supported by the chalky soil found in the Downs, with specimens including alliums, euphorbia, lavender, sage, rosemary, roses and geraniums as well as further trees and shrubs.

Nearest the main elevation there are a series of outdoor seating areas, with a parterre garden with buxus and lavender at the east Victorian range of the house. The house follows a gentle east-west slope, with the seating area at the centre of the house formed of relaxed outdoor sitting room, and adjacent corten steel pergola, enveloped by grape vines that wind their way through the posts. Below is a 20-seat bespoke dining table, with a Carrara marble top. At the lower western range of the house outside the library and dining room is a further brick paved veranda, partially set underneath a pent-hood zinc canopy. This area has further space for seating and an outdoor kitchen, with concrete worktops, a sink and space for a barbeque.

The rear of the house opens to views of vineyards beyond, managed by the Artelium Wine Estate, with hares, deer and pheasants all visiting regularly. There is an outdoor heated swimming pool with raised flower beds and a flagstone terrace set all around, with further steps and terraces leading down to the west range of the house. The pool is heated by an air-source heat pump and bound by further expansive lawns. There is also a weatherboard pool house set to the rear of the gardens and a separate kitchen garden with raised beds near the garden’s wooded area, through which a picketed wooden fence allows immediate access to the South Downs National Park through a small gate.

Ancillary buildings surround the parking area, including a double cart lodge and separate garage. The coach house has been built in recent years, thoughtfully designed with brick and flint elevations to mimic the main house, together with a clay tile pitched roof. A games room is positioned on the ground floor, with a guest WC to the rear. Above is an open-plan office space, with separate steps to the rear leading down to the garden. The plant room is connected to the coach house, discreetly set to the rear. This encompasses the ground-source heat pump, water tanks and controls. Boreholes are hidden under the lawns to the front of the house, and further solar panels for additional electricity are hidden within the main house’s roof pitches. A further lpg tank for the kitc