Surrey Homes | SH101 | June 2023 | Education Supplement inside

Above left & left: The panelled entrance passage is
illuminated thanks to the clever addition of a glass panel
fitted into one wall of the sitting room’s huge inglenook
Above right: An antique table was the perfect find to fit
with the low window. The rattan shade is from Cox & Cox
arrive, vans and trucks are busy beating a hasty
retreat, lest they be ticketed, or towed away.
Our destination – just down from St Mary’s church,
is one of the few houses in the Citadel that, from the
outside at least, looks a little different. The timber frame
has been tastefully updated from the traditional black
and white – not an easy feat for a listed property.
“We wanted a softer, more subtle look,” says owner
Cherry. “It took a bit of a fight, but we got there.”
As we are shown more of the house and Cherry
explains its history, it becomes clear that issues with
planners about the house exterior were easy to deal
with when compared with the initial purchase.
Cherry and her family live in London, but she had
lived in Rye as a child, and they came down for holidays
and to visit family regularly. They would stay either
near to her mother’s home, or in Rye – at The George
hotel, or other local places – so it made sense to have a
more permanent base here. “Once when I was visiting
mum I saw this place – and made an offer for it that
same day. I texted my husband to let him know,” she
pauses, “and then it transpired that the house next door
was tied to this one. The two properties were marketed
separately by two different estate agents although they
had a flying freehold and other complicated issues.”
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