East Court

Ramsgate

An historic and architecturally important Grade II listed Arts & Crafts house in a prominent coastal location

with wonderful sea views

East Court, Victoria Parade, Ramsgate, CT11 8ED

London St Pancras 75 minutes, Canterbury 18 miles, Ramsgate Marina ½ mile, A299 Thanet Way 2 miles, Westwood Cross 3 miles, London 80 miles

Features:

Reception hall, Drawing room, Dining room, Library, Study, Kitchen, Utility room, Master suite of bedroom,

bathroom and dressing room, 4 Further bedrooms, 2/3 Further bathrooms (2 en suite), 6 2nd Floor rooms,

Various store rooms etc, Gardens

East Court Annexe:

1/2 Reception rooms, 2 Kitchens, 1/2 Bedrooms, Bathroom, Store rooms, Double garage

About 0.8 acres

The PropertyEast Court is a magnificent example of an early Arts and Crafts House. Listed Grade II, the house is set in an elevated position enjoying wonderful panoramic views of the English Channel. Originally commissioned by the tobacco magnate, Sir William Henry Wills, the house was designed by celebrated architects Ernest George and Peto in 1889. Built as a seaside holiday home, the house passed to Wills’ niece, Janet Stancomb-Wills, on his death in 1911.

In 1952 East Court was purchased by the Church of England Children’s Society, who ran it as a children’s home for 30 years. The house was sold in 1983 and used as a school for dyslexic children. East Court School closed in 2009 and was then purchased by the current owners, who have painstakingly restored the property to a private house. In so doing the sellers have searched for and found fittings appropriate to the age and style of the property, thus returning it to its former glory. Now sensitively refurbished and ready for furnishing.

An unusual covered and gated Lytch style entrance portico leads to the front door. From here a panelled passageway leads into the magnificent reception hall. Marble floors, oak panelling and ornate ceilings set the tone for this handsome house. The principal rooms are all accessed from here. King among these is the drawing room, a superbly proportioned room with fabulous plaster detailing on the ceiling and good sea views. Adjacent is the dining room, an equally fine room with a superb, mainly carved wooden fireplace

surround and matching dresser. The library is on the north eastern corner of the house and is fully fitted with shelves and cupboards. Ornate ceiling details are a feature of all the main rooms. Next door is the study, a smaller more intimate room.

A service passageway runs behind the oak and leaded light screen of the hallway which leads to the kitchen, a magnificent room with a domed ceiling and panelled walls, and a central glazed fanlight. Double doors lead out to the south facing terrace. The kitchen has been sympathetically designed to fit in with the style of the house with custom made units, a central island and a five oven Aga with adjoining module. Adjacent is a generous utility room. The service passageway leads to a suite of four rooms, which have yet to be modernised and stairs lead down to a three room cellar. At the end of the passageway is a large, marble floored cloak room with a door leading back to the front hall.

The wide oak principal staircase leads from the hall to a half landing with a large stained glass window, which incorporates the William Wills monogram. The main landing is a superb welcoming space, with a half landing overlooking the hall. All the bedroom suites are accessed from here.

The master suite is on the south eastern corner and has a wonderful double aspect and sea views. The newly fitted en suite bathroom has mosaic tiles and marble walls. This suite is completed by a dressing room. Interlinking with the main bedroom is a small bedroom/

reading room with a door into the covered balcony. Two further en suite bedrooms and a fifth bedroom, with an adjoining potential bathroom, complete the first floor accommodation. At the end of the landing a staircase leads to the second floor, where there are six further bedrooms, as yet unmodernised.

A secondary stairway from the first floor landing leads down to the rear service passageway.

East Court AnnexeThis is a large detached building to the rear of East court. Currently arranged as a a first floor flat with store rooms and a double garage

below. The Annexe is built in a similar style to East Court.

OutsideThe gardens are to the south and the house and are well designed, giving good levels of seclusion. Stone pathways surround a central sunken lawn, with well stocked beds, and an unusual Edwardian grotto. Immediately to the south of the home is a large terrace with a small, marble-lined plunge pool. From here steps lead up to the raised lawn and the Annexe.

LocationLocated on the East Kent coast, Ramsgate is noted for its fine Georgian architecture. During the

18th and 19th Centuries, the town was a well-known destination for affluent families to ‘take the sea air’. The architect Augustus Pugin frequented Ramsgate in search of ‘the delight of the sea’, and went on to design and build himself a family home and St Augustine’s Church here.The harbour is especially picturesque and the area offers numerous restaurants and bars as well as a good variety of shopping facilities, including a Waitrose, together with stores at the Westwood Cross shopping and leisure complex. Further leisure, cultural and educational facilities can be found in the Cathedral City of Canterbury. Ramsgate has a

mainline railway station providing the High Speed service to London St Pancras in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Access to London by road is via the A299 Thanet Way onto the M2/A2. There are a wide range of services to the Continent from Dover and Folkestone, and Eurostar services are available from Ashford International.

GeneralLocal Authorities – Thanet District Council (01843 577000); Kent County Council (03000 414141)

Services – East Court has all mains services; gas-fired heating.

DirectionsIn the centre of Ramsgate, proceed down to the harbour. Keeping the Pizza Express restaurant on the right, take the coastal road in a northerly direction. Continue up the hill and remain on this road, with the sea to the right. Pass the Granville Theatre and continue straight on. East Court will be found on the left-hand side.

Floorplans for East Court

Approx gross internal area*:10,935ft2 = 1,015.0m2

Illustration for identifi cation purposes only. Not to scale.

*As defi ned by RICS –Code of Measuring Practice.

First Floor

Second Floor

Cellar Cellar

Ground Floor

East Court

Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Offi ce. Crown Copyright (ES763454). NOT TO SCALE

Ground Floor

First Floor

Floorplans for East Court - Annexe

Approx gross internal area*:3,019ft2 = 280.5m2

IMPORTANT NOTICE Strutt & Parker LLP gives notice that: 1. These particulars do not constitute an offer or contract or part thereof. 2. All descriptions, photographs and plans are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements or representations of fact. All measurements are approximate and not necessarily to scale. Any prospective purchaser must satisfy themselves of the correctness of the information within the particulars by inspection or otherwise. 3. Strutt & Parker LLP does not have any authority to give any representations or warranties whatsoever in relation to this property (including but not limited to planning/building regulations), nor can it enter into any contract on behalf of the Vendor. 4. Strutt & Parker LLP does not accept responsibility for any expenses incurred by prospective purchasers in inspecting properties which have been sold, let or withdrawn. 5. If there is anything of particular importance to you, please contact this office and Strutt & Parker will try to have the information checked for you. Photographs taken May 2015. Particulars prepared June 2015.

Strutt & Parker Canterbury2 St Margaret’s Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2SL

+44 (0)1227 451123canterbury@struttandparker.com

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