Norton House, The Green, Rottingdean

Norton House is located in the heart of the charming and historically rich village of Rottingdean, in an idyllic position overlooking the pond and The Green, with views towards the windmill and just a short walk from Rottingdean Beach.

Built in 1815 for two sisters who had previously lived on the Green in the house that later became the home of Rudyard Kipling, this gracious property has since served as both a hotel and boys’ school. During the 1960s, the villa was divided, and converted into two maisonettes and a penthouse, each retaining magnificent proportions and many original features.

Opposite the village pond and Green, a traditional Sussex flint wall leads into the charming courtyard garden with scented roses climbing beyond the bedroom window, and slate Gertrude Jekyll style paths, to an elegant front door with coloured Crittall glass returns. The hallway features a graceful ceiling arch and detailed cornicing.

To the left is the living room, a wonderfully bright and elegant space with high ceilings, acanthus leaf and pearl plaster cornicing, oak wooden floors, and a bay window that fills the room with natural light. Original working wood shutters frame lovely views across the pond and Green towards Beacon Hill, while a working fireplace adds further character to the room.

From the hallway, double doors open into the kitchen/dining room, which has been carefully designed for contemporary living. It features a gas wood burner and a Bose music system set into the ceiling. The working area of the kitchen has Corian work surfaces, painted drawers, and fitted cupboards. Elegant bespoke hand-painted wooden shelving flanks double glass doors leading into a light and airy conservatory with tongue-and-groove walls and a vaulted ceiling. A wall of glass doors and windows opens onto a beautifully planted flint-walled garden. A further opening leads into the original long gardener’s shed, where a sloping beamed ceiling, windows overlooking the garden, and two Velux windows create a bright and inspiring space, ideal for use as an artist’s studio or home office.

Returning to the hallway, a door to the left opens into a guest cloakroom with tongue-and-groove panelling and a contemporary white suite. A door beneath the stairs leads down into a brick-arched smugglers’ tunnel, currently arranged as a laundry room and storage area. There is also a separate section to the right with plumbing already in place, offering potential for conversion into a gym, studio, or playroom.

The elegant staircase rises to the first floor. To the right is a peaceful and light-filled bedroom with an en-suite shower room, wooden floors, an open fireplace, original working shutters, and a large built-in wardrobe. The large east-facing window enjoys views over St Margaret’s 13th-century church and the Memorial Gardens. Next door, the principal bedroom features a dressing area with a run of wardrobes and an open fireplace. A bay window to the front, again with original working shutters, offers far-reaching views across the Green and pond towards the Downs and Beacon Hill Windmill. This bedroom also benefits from a beautifully appointed en-suite bathroom with tongue-and-groove panelling, mosaic-tiled walls and floor, a freestanding oval bath, and a large walk-in shower.

Rottingdean is a quintessential English seaside village offering a wide variety of activities and entertainments throughout the year, including active cricket, croquet, and tennis clubs, an amateur dramatic society, and horse-riding stables. The quaint village High Street, just a short stroll away, includes two mini supermarkets, a hardware store, post office, butcher, greengrocer, hairdressers, and beauty salons. Rottingdean also offers a number of excellent public houses, a local museum, and an art gallery in the former home of Sir William Nicholson, as well as several restaurants and cafes. Just beyond the High Street lies Rottingdean Beach and the attractive undercliff walk, the Marina, Brighton, and Saltdean Lido.

Brighton with its the large shopping centre, fashionable Laines and access to the theatre, bars and restaurants can be easily reached by hopping on one of the regular buses along the coast road taking you to the pier in around ten minutes to Brighton. The mainline railway station is only a short drive away or twenty minutes by bus.

Sporting and recreational facilities nearby are extensive: there is golf at East Brighton and West Hove, The Dyke and Pyecombe; racing at Brighton and Plumpton; sailing at Brighton Marina; and beautiful surrounding countryside, including the South Downs National Park, Ditchling Beacon and award-winning wine farms with many miles of stunning walks and rides. Brighton airport, in Shoreham, offers a convenient base for private aircraft.

There are many highly regarded schools and colleges in the local area, including Roedean School and Brighton College as well as a highly regarded sixth form college. The village itself has two primary schools and a well-regarded Secondary School just outside. The city is also the home to both the University of Sussex and Brighton University and a number of creative arts’ institutes.