Wealden Times | WT186 | August 2017 | Wedding supplement inside

HOUSE OF THE MONTH
1.
Entertaining Al Fresco
Maggie Alderson uncovers homes that are garden party perfect
Opening an article with the context of the weather on the day of
writing guarantees it will be an entirely different clime on the day the
magazine, or newspaper comes out (just as watering your parched
garden will guarantee a downpour of biblical scale within an hour).
Knowing all this I will still venture that today I ate lunch and dinner at the table
in my garden – it was heaven and it’s not the first time I’ve done it this year. I can
only hope that after writing those words I haven’t condemned it to be the last.
As a nation accustomed to – and a sneaky little bit proud of – our very
changeable and ‘unseasonal’ weather, we Brits know to grab such blue sky
days when they come along, which is why every bank holiday with a positive
weather forecast leads to supermarkets sold out of barbecue charcoal, sausages
and coleslaw, as everyone plans a mass stampede to their outdoor plots.
And the fact that the incident of such al fresco frolicking
opportunities might be countable on one hand each year makes it
all the more important to make the most of them by having your
outdoor wining and dining facilities in place well in advance.
The same is true for general outdoor lounging arrangements, because just as
every kitchen must now be ‘eat in’ and feature at least one sofa and a TV, so families
embracing the indoor/outdoor lifestyle expect this set up in the garden too.
Popping out to panic purchase a garden dining set, loungers and allweather
coffee tables on the morning of August bank holiday Sunday is
unlikely to lead to wise investment buys. And well before you even get to
that stage it’s vital to have a level surface, within easy reach of the house and
with the most pleasant outlook from and of your plot ready for them. No
one wants to be Ethelred the Unready for one of our precious scorchers.
Better still, buy a house which has a fabulous outdoor entertaining
and lounging area already in place – as these four do.
1.
1. Upper Crisbrook Mill
Where? Upper Crisbrook Mill
sits in a nature conservation area in
the beautiful Loose valley, just a 20
minute walk along the river from
Maidstone town centre. High speed
trains to St Pancras take one hour from
Maidstone West, the M20 is nearby.
What? Built in the 18th century
as a water mill, it was converted into
a house in the 1970s and has been
completely renovated by the current
owners, who got the original mill wheel
working again. It now supplies all the
electricity for the house and enough for
the National Grid to bring in a sizable
income. The mill pond also provides a
superb spot to sit and eat, serenaded by
the sound of the stream. Across a floor
area of nearly 5,000 sq feet, the ground
floor features a cellar and snug, dining
room, kitchen, utility, and bathroom.
Upstairs are two bedrooms and two
studies and a further bathroom.
How much? Upper Crisbrook
Mill is listed with Fine & Country,
West Malling at £1,100,000
Call 01732 222272 or have a
look on fineandcountry.com
wealdentimes.co.uk
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