Surrey Homes | SH50 | December 2018 | Health & Beauty supplement inside

Above left: A cosy sitting room off the master bedroom Above right: In the hallway, two religious statues, originally from an Irish
convent. Kim gave the organ to Paul as a Christmas present
‘I drove around St Leonards, which at the time
was the seaside town that time had forgotten not
what it is today, but I couldn’t find it, so I went
back to London feeling disappointed.’
Still she kept thinking about house. ‘I
couldn’t get it out of my head,’ she says.
The next trip to look for it was with husband
Paul and on this occasion, the hunt was successful.
‘We didn’t make an appointment! We just knocked
on the door and were welcomed in,’ says Kim.
Once inside, Kim’s love for the house wasn’t diminished.
‘Although the décor was seriously 1970s and the place
wasn’t in the best state of repair, I fell hopelessly in love.’
But as with most love affairs it didn’t immediately ‘run
smooth’ and their offer, made first thing the following day,
was rejected in favour of another. Deciding they had to
move on – literally – Kim and Paul, bassist for Sade, moved
their family from London to the arid, sunny climate of Los
Angeles, California, which they hoped would be beneficial
to Joe’s health. For the time being, sun, sea and surf replaced
the notion of romantic Gothic towers and Victorian charm
and Kim’s dream of a life in St Leonards-on-Sea was put on
hold… Until that auspicious phone call several years later.
After jumping several more hurdles, the couple finally took
possession of the house. It needed a complete decorative
overhaul, despite attempts by several owners, including the
actress Maria LeBrock, mother of actress Kelly, to update it.
‘It was a massive project,’ recalls Paul. ‘Myself
and a local builder refurbished the majority of
the interior, which took over two years.’
Most of the features in The Clock House are
sympathetic additions made by Paul and Kim. Sandstone
fireplaces, moulded plaster cornicing, architraves,
Lincrusta panelled walls and dado rails, all of
surrey-homes.co.uk
82