Atmospheric Grade II listed tudor building
Tudor Location East Sussex
135 All Saints Street is a totally unique home and one of the most atmospheric Grade II Listed Tudor buildings in England. And with just a three-minute walk to the beach and Hastings’ fishing fleet, the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in the UK, with its towering net huts and daily catch, you also have the gift of the sea, boats and fish on your doorstep.
The house is of two-bay timber-framed construction, has four levels and extends back deeply from the road. There are four upper rooms: two bedrooms with built-in box beds, one with a plumbed-in tin bath; a bathroom in the eaves, with lead-lined wooden tub; and a cosy panelled living room with oak shutters. The ground floor holds a front parlour with stone floor and large inglenook fireplace, and a further middle parlour kitchen with open fire and log pile. The lower ground consists of a double-height rear wing that houses a kitchen with open plank shelves and a dining room in a semi-underground cellar (this part is earlier, dating from 1480). All rooms are bathed in soft natural light, adjusted by shutters; there are four open fireplaces, all of which can be lit; and there is also secluded back yard, with a tall weather-boarded fisherman’s shed, enclosed by a striking fence made from reclaimed groyne oak planking. In summer this turns into a leafy enclave of giant gunnera, hogweed and ferns. The further attraction here is the outdoor hot shower, which provides the fun of bathing privately outside, amongst the jungle-like foliage.
The rooms are humbly furnished to reflect the character of the house – yet all modern utilities, which are cleverly hidden, are present. Lath and plaster walls have been left raw; sea-weathered oak – used for floorboards, shelves, shutters, cladding and built-in box beds is left scrubbed; and lead and tin – used for splash-backs and baths – bears the patina of history. The furniture is modern rustic, an eclectic mix of European pieces from all periods, providing a contemporary take on the past. For instance, there are 19th century Orkney chairs with rush backs that sit alongside English Georgian wingbacks in velvet, and an 18th century West Country settle with its original paint. An early Hungarian table shares space with various Romanian time-worn primitive dressers, stools and seats. A Dutch 18th-century drop leaf table with silhouette legs shares a room with an Edwardian velvet sofa and Irish rush-woven chairs. In the kitchen and cellar dining room, there is a 20th-century French aluminium-topped work table, a 1950s enamel refectory cooker and a cherry-wood French table. A fresh, magical environment has been created, closer to earth, with textures and detail that weave a unique narrative quite unlike conventional Tudor interiors.
- All day car park – 3 minutes walk or Free street parking – in adjacent road
- Incredibly atmospheric 2 bedroom, Grade 2 listed Tudor house
- Simple, rustic, old-fashioned, authentic
