Location

Great Batchelors is situated about 1.3 miles to the west of the pretty Kentish village of Biddenden, where there is a general store, beautiful old church, village primary school and public house. The property is also located within Cranbrook School catchment (2026).

More comprehensive shopping and other facilities can be found in Headcorn, Tenterden and Ashford. There are a number of golf clubs including Chart Hills, Tenterden and Dale Hill in Ticehurst.

Headcorn and Pluckley stations provide excellent commuter links to London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross. A high speed train service runs between Ashford and London St Pancras in about 38 minutes.   

Great Batchelors is located within Cranbrook School catchment and there is an excellent selection of schools in the area; grammar schools for boys and girls in Ashford and Maidstone, various local primary schools and in the private sector independent girls and boys schools in Cranbrook, Hawkhurst, Ashford, Sutton Valence, Canterbury and Tonbridge.

The M25 can be accessed via the M20 at junction 10 providing links to Gatwick and Heathrow airport and other motorway networks.

*All distance and travel times are approximate.

Description

Great Batchelors is a wonderful example of a late 16th / early 17th century timber framed, former hall house, designated as a building of special architectural interest and historic note and Grade II* Listed. Understood to have been built by the Allard family, in circa 1614, Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry Allard married Thomas Bachelor with the house coming into the hands of the Bachelor family, after whom it became named. There is an inscription above the ancient oak front door RA 1606 EA.

Set within attractive established, level gardens and grounds which amount to about 1.8 acres, this well presented family home of impressive proportions, also features a stylish detached two bedroom annexe, and combined, the total square footage of both amounts to in excess of 5,788 sq ft.

The property lies about 1.3 miles to the north of the pretty village of Biddenden, whilst Cranbrook is about 4.4 miles away with various shops, amenities and grammar school and Headcorn with its range of shops and mainline station with frequent services to London is about 4.8 miles away.

The internal accommodation which has been extended over the years, boasts a wealth of attractive period features including exposed timbers and beams, wood flooring, inglenook fireplaces and leaded light windows. There is a welcoming reception hall together with two well proportioned reception rooms; a drawing room and a family room, both rooms benefiting from good ceiling heights, lovely period fireplaces, the former having a wood burning stove. There is also a south facing dining room with window seat, direct garden access and a turned oak staircase leading to the first floor.

The impressive bespoke fitted kitchen/breakfast room has a range of hand painted cupboards and central island, complemented by Quartz stone worksurfaces. Appliances include a Smeg range cooker with induction hob, integral fridge and a dishwasher. Off the kitchen is a pantry and a utility room with integral freezer and cupboard housing the washing machine and tumble dryer. Access can be gained to a cloakroom. Completing the ground floor is a boot room, a pool room and a shower room.

On the first and second floors, the main bedroom suite features exposed beams and benefits from a walk in wardrobe and an en suite shower room. There are six further bedrooms, including two substantial attic bedrooms, all served by a family bathroom, a shower room and an en suite shower room on the second floor.

Great Batchelors is approached via electric gates that open to a gravel drive continuing to an area of parking and turning. The property sits in lovely mature established part walled gardens with level lawns interspersed with an array of seasonal shrubs, specimen trees and two ponds. Screened from the front garden by a brick wall, is an outdoor swimming pool, heated via an air source heat pump. Within the gardens there is also a Pergoda enhanced by a vine and climbing roses, a versatile summerhouse currently used as a home office and a pump room.

To the south of the house lies Little Batchelors, the extremely versatile detached annexe. Completed in 2022 by Meopham & Wood, it has been stylishly finished with under floor heating and comprising an open plan sitting/dining room and fully fitted kitchen with sliding doors opening out to a private decked terrace. To either end of the open plan space are two en suite bedrooms.

Completing the property are a number of useful outbuildings, including a bike store and a log store.

Directions

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