Wealden Times | WT167 | January 2016 | Health & Beauty supplement inside

HOUSE OF THE MONTH by John Graham-Hart
1.
Going with the flow
John Graham-Hart finds waterside properties
I
once met up with a friend to celebrate the birth of his first child. He
was both elated and depressed. Elated for obvious reasons, depressed
because his wife had decided on both a home birth and a water birth.
The birthing pool had been set up in their bedroom and all went swimmingly
until there was a crack like a rifle shot and pool, wife and 200 gallons of
water started to disappear through the floor into the drawing room below.
The mother-to-be scrambled clear with surprising agility but my friend’s
beautiful Georgian drawing room would never, alas, be the same. “It looks
like the Norwegian whaling fleet has been through,” he muttered.
What is it about our love-affair with water? Why are we so fascinated by it?
Humankind just can’t keep away from the wet stuff. We are the only non-aquatic
mammal that has such a close relationship with H2O. Most of us have at least
one close encounter with water every day, in the form of a bath or shower. When
we come to select that hard-earned holiday, many of us choose to spend it on a
beach. We love to watch it in motion and will even go to great pains to get it to
defy gravity and flow up into the air.
Whatever the reason, we certainly do like to be around water and have water
around us. Properties on the coast, with seas views, by rivers or on lake-sides all
come with a premium price tag. From a humble pond to a dramatic beach, we’re
up for it. So have a look and see if one of these homes whets your appetite….
1. Upper Crisbrook Mill
Where? Upper Crisbrook Mill is set
in the lovely Loose valley, just south of
Maidstone (Google Maps ME15 6XR).
What? This beautiful Grade II listed
mill began life in the 18th century and
was converted into a home in the 1970s,
with the water wheel retained as a purely
decorative feature. The current owner,
however, has adapted it to provide not
only power for the whole house but an
income from the National Grid. They have
renovated the building too.
On the ground floor there is a dining
room, snug and kitchen/breakfast room,
while on the second floor there are two
bedrooms, a drawing room, office and
study. On the top floor there is a master
bedroom with en suite bathroom and three
further bedrooms. Outside, in two acres
of landscaped grounds, is a large decked
terrace, a romantic mill pond and a triple
garage.
How much? Upper Crisbrook Mill is
on the market at £1,100,000 and is with
Fine & Country in West Malling. Call
01732 222272 or visit
www.fineandcountry.com
www.wealdentimes.co.uk
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