Wealden Times | WT174 | August 2016 | Wedding supplement inside

HOUSE OF THE MONTH by John Graham-Hart
1.
Happy Families
John Graham-Hart finds homes with space for
the extended family to live together
They have now decided to call them ‘multi-generational living facilities’
which, let’s face it, really doesn’t sound like somewhere anyone of any
generation would inhabit without a court order.
So let’s take a step back into English and call them by their original and
considerably more family-friendly handle of ‘granny flats’.
The idea of these cosy-sounding nooks, with their own kitchen, bathroom and
sitting rooms, was to provide attached – but just separate enough – spaces, where
the grandparents of the family could come and live to enjoy, and be enjoyed, by the
rest of the family, particularly their grandchildren. Thus they would be very much
part of the family and the family home but, at the same time, have their own space
and independence.
Times, however, change and today, it’s not only the grandparents who might be
making use of any self-contained space, either in a property or within its grounds.
At the age of 22, I left the family nest in Chichester and, on a cub reporter’s
salary, rented a big room in a spacious mansion block flat in Chelsea. It cost just 25
per cent of my seriously meagre earnings and came with off-road parking for my
seriously pretentious Easy Rider motorcycle.
I cannot begin to imagine what equivalent accommodation would cost my
children to rent today. The first flat I bought some years later cost £45,000. It was a
modest two-bedroom flat with a pretty roof terrace in Clapham. Oddly enough, I
saw it for sale a month ago – the price tag was £765,000.
Today, the children of the family are understandably spending longer at home
before heading out into the world and, once out, there is absolutely no guarantee
that they won’t be back. So self-contained spaces in the family home – always useful
for grandparents – have taken on a new role and new value…
1. Old Swatlands
Where? Old Swatlands is on the
outskirts of the pretty and popular village
of Goudhurst (Google Maps TN17
2NX).
What? Believed to date from the 16th
century, this grade II listed property has
undergone extensive renovation and has
been extended to provide an excellent
family home. On the ground floor is a
drawing room with open fireplace, sitting
room, dining room, conservatory and
kitchen/breakfast room. Above is a master
bedroom suite with vaulted ceiling and
four further bedrooms. Within the twoacre
grounds there is a converted barn
with a sitting room, kitchen, a wet room,
two double bedrooms and a shower room.
Also within the grounds there is a
heated swimming pool and terrace and
an astro-turf tennis court. The gardens
are laid extensively to lawn and offer
outstanding far-reaching views. As well
as off-road parking, there is an English
Heritage triple garage and store room.
How much? Old Swatlands is on
the market with Harpers & Hurlingham
in Cranbrook and is priced at
£1,695,000. Call 01580 715400 or visit
harpersandhurlingham.com
wealdentimes.co.uk
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