It is such a pleasure to see a period property so lovingly restored, combining the original character of the era with a contemporary palette to create a space which is homely, warm and inviting for families and professionals alike. With two beautiful double bedrooms, two comfortable reception rooms and potential for further extension into the loft space, it feels deceptively spacious spread over three floors with high ceilings and an abundance of period features. It is clear the current owners have a keen eye for colour and interior styling, as each space has been carefully curated with both form and function in mind. There is room to relax, to entertain, to feed a family and to work from home in complete peace and tranquillity.
The House:
Picton Street is incredibly peaceful and pretty with Victorian terraced homes painted in a rainbow of bright and muted colours; a scheme which has become synonymous with the Hanover area. This house is paired well with its neighbours in duck-egg blue with a sage front door up a few stone steps. Stepping inside, you are welcomed into a beautiful entrance hall with a high ceiling and natural light streaming down the stairwell. It feels immediately warm and welcoming with artworks adorning the tall walls and stylish furnishings to decorate each room. While these are not included with the sale, the overall aesthetic will inspire many to achieve the same, as it works so perfectly for the space.
A stylish Farrow & Ball palette has been used throughout the house with bold Hague Blue for the first reception room, spanning the ground floor with dual aspect windows bringing in natural light from east to west. To the front, comfortable furnishings sit around the original open fire which is swept and ready for use. To the rear a wall of bookshelves covers the southerly wall, while a study area has been built into the alcove for those needing to work from home. It is ultimately tranquil here, overlooking the garden through the brand new, double-glazed sash window (found throughout the house). This is the only house on this side of the street which has retained this reception as a single room, but it could be reinstated as two rooms depending on the family’s needs, creating a third bedroom as there is a second sitting room on the lower floor.
Downstairs, the kitchen and dining room have also been opened to create one sociable space where the family can come together around the table. The fireplace down here is also open, bringing atmosphere to wintery suppers and there is space for cosy seating too. The Howdens kitchen has a modern country feel with handmade brick wall tiles as a splashback around the oven and open shelving for crockery and glassware. While space has been left for freestanding appliances, it would be possible to add integrated ones, or the current dishwasher, washing machine and cooker may be available by separate negotiation. White painted floorboards serve to brighten the room which enjoys open views of the garden where you can spill outside to the circular brick patio for drinks and dining alfresco during summer.
Inspired by Derek Jarman’s garden in Dungeness, this enchanting city garden offers a peaceful haven sitting in the dappled shade of Japanese maple and birch trees. Looking up, the plethora of evergreen plants bring colour, shape and scent to the space, with fragrant jasmine, passion flowers, and nasturtiums adding a welcome pop of colour come spring and summer. Out here, it really is hard to believe the bustling city is just a few minutes away.
Completing the lower ground floor, the bathroom is another beautifully appointed room with brick tiling around the bath and hardwearing Amtico flooring in a bold geometric pattern for impact. There is a shower over the bath and the space is well designed with a WC, hand basin and column radiator to warm you and your towels in cooler weather.
Painted stairs rise to the first floor where there are two double bedrooms, one spanning the front of the house looking out over the peaceful street and the other facing west over the garden. From here you gain the first glimpse of the view which peeps out over the roof tops of the city with a ribbon of the countryside beyond, below open skies, reminding you just how perfectly positioned we are here, between the green and the blue. Both rooms have built-in clothes storage and wood flooring, while bedroom two also has an open fire within the exposed brick chimney breast and a discreet air conditioning unit which is almost silent for those hot summer nights when sleep is hard to come by.
Above the bedrooms is a large loft space which many neighbours have converted as planning consents are easier to come by outside of the conservation areas. Should you build upwards, you would not only gain another bedroom or two and a bathroom, but you would also be able to see the sea from the rear of the house – bliss.
Vendors’ Comments:
“We made this house our home 24 years ago and it has held and nurtured us through the most blissful happy times. It is a house which has worked brilliantly for us with very young children, but it has evolved as they have grown where they have enjoyed their independence being able to walk to school or catch a bus nearby right through their teenage years and even their return from university. With The Patch just four doors away, the children were able to play out with their friends in the street and in The Patch in complete safety with the strong and vibrant Patch community coming together for events and festivals throughout the year. It was a real pleasure to breathe new life into an older property, making the space our own and bringing love and colour to every corner. People often comment that the house has a calm and welcoming feel which is true – so it is going to be a wrench to leave, but it is time to downsize now and start the next chapter.”
Closest Schools:
Primary: St Luke’s Primary, Elm Grove Primary
Secondary: Varndean or Dorothy Stringer, Cardinal Newman RC
Private: Brighton College, Lancing Prep, Montessori
Hanover continues to be one of the most popular locations for families and professionals to live when moving to the city. It ticks so many boxes with its vibrant and welcoming community; colourful terraced houses; foodie pubs; incredible hilltop views and its close proximity to excellent schools, Brighton Station and the city centre. Both Brighton and Sussex Universities are nearby and this house benefits from The Patch Park less than 30 seconds from the front door where children can play and the community hosts three festivals each year. Transport links are excellent with buses stopping nearby taking you throughout the city and beyond and the trainline from Moulsecoomb Station runs to Lewes and the surrounding countryside. Further up the hill you find The South Downs Way and the beach is just 20-minutes on foot – almost entirely on the flat. The city centre shops, North Laine District and Lewes Road amenities are also nearby, so this stylish home sits on some of the most prime land in the country.
