The house is spacious, yet compact, with a wonderful feel. It combines interior design with every day practicality, and gets sun throughout the day. It has been developed under one long ownership; this is the first time that the property has come to the market

The property’s principal features at a glance

* Four double bedrooms, four bathrooms, three en suite * The principal bedroom has doors onto a balcony overlooking the garden * A sitting room, a snug, a dining room, a study/library and a study/office * Open fires in the sitting room and snug, a log-burner in the dining room * The kitchen has an AGA, two Neff ovens, an induction hob and a wine cooler * There are two fridges, two freezers and two dishwashers * A large ‘breakfast’ area in the kitchen * A utility room, a walk-in larder and a cloakroom * The AGA and central heating are oil-fired * Fibre optic broadband

This property has 2.3 acres of land.

Outside

Double doors open from the kitchen and the study/library onto the patio and from the dining room and the sitting room onto the terrace

* A semi-circular gravel drive. a 3-bay garage, log store and storage mezzanine * A patio outside the kitchen for dining, getting the morning sun * A terrace outside the sitting room for the afternoon and evening sun * A hard tennis court and a practice board * An orchard area with apples, plums and crab apple trees * A natural pond with a bridge and an ornamental pond with a fountain * A paddock of about ¾ acre * Garden sheds * A farm track from the road for vehicle access to the garden and paddock

Ashford International station (London from 36 minutes) is a short (6.8mile) drive away, as are the beaches between Folkestone and Rye (about 9 miles).

Situation

Ash Hill House sits over the footprint of an old stable, to which one low doorway in the middle of the house bears witness. Over the years the house and the garden have developed to keep abreast of family needs for living, entertaining and outdoor activities.

On the edge of Ruckinge village, the house is on the top of an escarpment but just below its brow, protected by high trees. The nearby footpath is the Saxon Shore Way, and the village can be traced back to Domesday Book times. On the other sides of the house, the views are over fields, towards majestic woods.

The house has provided an ideal base for family life and for home working from its two studies. One of its most significant attributes remains its orientation, which gives sun from morning to night over the two terraces – the last rays of the day being caught on the sitting room terrace.

Although in a rural setting its location gives easy access for commuting, shopping, recreation and travel, including to the Continent:

Canterbury, which is about 21 miles distant, has the Cathedral, superb schooling and an excellent theatre, The Marlowe, which presents London shows. Closer than that are: Rye, which has a strong artistic and cultural reputation and is home to the distinguished Rye Golf Club and to the Rye Tennis Club

Folkestone, which provides access to the Channel Tunnel and harbour restaurants

Ashford, home of a Designer Outlet, multiple supermarkets, and good private, state and Grammar Schools

Tenterden, an elegant market town The long sandy beaches of Kent and East Sussex, including Camber

The London to Dover M20 is a short distance from the house

Hamstreet, which is less than 2 miles away, has a Morrisons and a good surgery. Its station connects to Ashford International Station in about 8 minutes, where the HS1 train takes from 36 minutes to London St Pancras International

Directions

From Hamstreet: Head east on Ruckinge Road (A2067) for about 2 miles to Ruckinge. Take the first left turn in Ruckinge, up Ash Hill, to the top of the hill, and Ash Hill House is the last house on the right, passing Spindleberry House on the left and then The Old Rectory on the right.