GUIDE PRICE: £550,000-£580,000 - A Fantastic Grade II Period Home - Restored and Improved - Steeped in Local History - Close to West Malling Village - Driveway and Detached Double Garage - Vacant Possession Available

A fantastic example of a Grade II period home steeped in local history. Situated on the cusp of the popular village of West Malling, Clare Cottage offers a wealth of restored period features and yet blends contemporary modern upgrades throughout. There is an upgraded cottage style kitchen a replaced bathroom and numerous other improvements, additionally though, beautiful exposed brickwork, exposed timbers and beams, feature fireplaces and a wonderful inglenook fireplace is the focal point of the sitting room. To the exterior, the generous gardens wrap around the property and there is also a driveway, double garage and parking for numerous vehicles. The property is set fairly equidistant between the historic villages of West & East Malling with mainline stations at both, and in West Malling an abundance of shops, bars, restaurants and a post office to choose from. By road, there is easy access to the M20's junction 4 which links to London and the coast. Please contact the office to arrange a key accompanied viewing; We know you will not be disappointed.

History of Clare Cottage

A Grade II listed cottage believed to date from between 1550 and 1650. Its earliest mention is on the 1701 map of the manor of East Malling held in the archives in Maidstone, where it is described as being in the occupation of Edward Greene. On the map it is shown as two separate buildings, one of which is probably the oast house of which only part of the outer wall remains - this now has a sandstone patio laid within it.

The cottage is timber framed above a brick lower storey. The half-hipped un-collared queen-post roof is hung with Kentish peg tiles, as is the first floor.

The substantial dual-inglenook fireplace, which encompasses the remains of several bread ovens probably post-dates the construction of the cottage itself as indicated by smoke-blackening of some timbers in the attic.

In 1793 the cottage was included in the parcel of land bought by timber merchant John Larking, who built Clare House, and the cottage became the Gardeners cottage, home to a succession of Head and Under-gardeners.

In 1861 Clare was sold to Alfred Wigan, at which time the catslide outshut was added to the rear of the cottage probably as an eye-catcher. Originally supported on rough-hewn timber, this was re-built in 1975 and is now supported by octagonal posts.

In the 1920s the cottage passed to the Butler family, farmers from Larkfield. The Butlers operated a bakery out of the cottage, which explains the numerous former bread ovens they also ran the dairy in Blacklands at the end of the lane (which is now the electricity substation).

Electric lights replaced gas lights when electricity was brought to the cottage in 1945.

When Clare house fell into disrepair in the 1950s, the cottage was bought by the borough council, though the younger daughter Elisabeth (Bertha) Butler continued to live there until her death in 1985, at which point the cottage was sold at auction.

In 1962 it was added to the register of historic buildings (entry number 1070494: ).

It was bought by the current owner in 1991, who removed the decaying 19th century end stack, and constructed the driveway and substantial garage.


Freehold
Council Tax Band (E)
EPC Rating (n/a)