Wealden Times | WT265 | June 2024 | Education Supplement inside

Previous page: The open, light-filled first floor landing was originally dark, pokey and had several disconnected
rooms leading from it. The triple chandelier was made to order by Dowsing & Reynolds
This page: An extension was added to the ground floor to create space for an open plan kitchen and living area
I
don’t mind sharing with you that I suffer from a chronic
condition known as house envy. The symptoms normally
flare up on visiting a beautiful home, and grow more
severe around decent cornicing, pendant lighting or statement
wallpaper. The treatment usually involves a large credit card bill.
I have had it for years and have been able to manage it, until that
is, I meet Angela in her six bedroom Edwardian home in Churt
and am struck down by a new symptom: transformation awe.
Angela and her husband were no strangers to house
renovation when they moved out of London to be nearer their
son’s school. “Paul and I are quite seasoned house developers,
from our first flat to our first house to our next bigger house.
I’ve never been someone who wants to buy a house that’s
ready to move into. I’ve always wanted properties that need
everything doing to them so that I can make them my own and
add value.” Angela was clear that she wanted a period property,
and instantly recognised the potential of the house, on the
market for the first time in 50 years. “The central heating was
extremely basic,” Angela says, “but it still had lots of Edwardian
beauty and original features as well as good room proportions.”
Wasting no time, Angela instructed a local architect to do
a survey and check the position regarding planning early on
in the purchasing process. “We had a pretty clear idea of what
we could and couldn’t do,” she explains. “So as soon as we
moved in, we immediately started putting together our plans
for planning approval.” The art of being one step ahead is one
that Angela, a financial services professional, used throughout
the build. Planning permission was slow on account of Covid,
but Angela used the time to line up a builder – Hurstmore
Developments – and a place to stay. “As soon as planning
was approved, we broke ground straight away,” says Angela.
“But we rented a property nearby for a year. I think on a
project of this size, it just pays for itself to be out of the
way because the project moves so much more quickly.”
While the footprint of the house did not change a huge
amount – bar an extension on the ground floor to create space
for an open plan kitchen and living area – almost everything else
about the rest of the house did. “One of the major things that
we changed was the orientation of the house,” explains Angela.
Originally, the façade facing the driveway housed a blocky
downstairs loo, but now the (stripped back and restored) front
door is the first thing you see, and as you enter the house you are
greeted by a jaw-dropping triple height hallway. Were there any
challenges to achieving such a spectacular entrance? “Well, we
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