_Pride and Property: Home owned by generations of Jane Austen’s family for sale
Pride and Property: Home owned by generations of Jane Austen’s family for sale
Property
A home owned by seven generations of the renowned English author's family is for sale in Kent.
5-6 bedroom house for sale in Grovehurst Lane, Horsmonden, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12
Asking price: £1,695,000
Once the home to seven generations of Jane Austen’s family, this property sits among the greenery of Horsmonden, in Tonbridge.
The Grade II listed house is as characterful as Austen’s stories from Sense and Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice. The oldest part of the house is believed to date as far back as 1215, although the Austen family took residence from early 1600 until 1851.
Spend a moment on the 3.8 acre grounds of Grovehurst Lane and it becomes clear that Jane would not have been short of inspiration; both the inside and outside has its charms.
On the inside, relive past centuries through the architecture with a large Elizabethan fireplace in the library, a 17th century fireplace in the dining room, a beautiful wood- panelled study, three staircases and a stained glass window in the dining room.
It’s very likely that the English novelist would have tucked up reading (or more likely, writing) a novel near the Elizabethan fireplace and composed some of her famous prose in the shadows of the wood-panelled study.
Jane would have ambled along the vast, luscious gardens which enclose the house, thinking about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, the main characters in a love story that captured the hearts of the world’s romantics, or possibly Thomas Lefroy, her neighbour who ended up being so much more.
Austen penned this to her sister, Cassandra: “I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together."
The gardens, which would have seen much dancing and playing, include formal lawns with well stocked flower borders and a multitude of mature trees and surrounding shrubs.
On the southern side, there is a paddock as well as a wooded area with wild flowers, bluebells and a pond. To the rear of the house there is a lovely rose garden with brick paths leading through and around. There is also a tennis court which is in need of restoration.
The attractive property may just inspire the next world-renowned author but there’s only one way to find out.
To book a viewing, request more information or speak to an agent:
Our blog content is provided for interest only. It may be produced spontaneously, without the reviewing and editing often used for more formal publications. It may not be understood by a reader as it was intended. Any views expressed may be the personal view of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the view of Knight Frank LLP. It may include or be based upon information from a variety of external sources which have not been verified by us.
You read our content at your own risk and cannot rely on it in any way. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone for the content or for any opinion expressed and we will have no liability for any loss or damage resulting from any use of, reliance on or reference to the content.
© Knight Frank LLP 2016. Reproduction of our content in whole or in part is not allowed without prior written approval of Knight Frank LLP to the form and context within which it appears. Knight Frank LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England with registered number OC305934. Our registered office is 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 8AN, where you may look at a list of members’ names. Please see our [terms and conditions] and [privacy policy] for more details.
Recent News
Explore by Category