Beautiful Country House, Period Features, Modern Decor, Great Entertaining Space

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Entire home

Overview
Amenities
Policies
Location
Host

4 bedrooms1+ bathroomSleeps 12

Popular amenities

Fireplace

Pet-friendly

Kitchen

Barbecue grill

Washer

Dryer

Explore the area

Icklesham, East Sussex

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve9 min drive
Pett Level Beach9 min drive
Camber Sands17 min drive
London (LGW-Gatwick)99 min drive

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 12)

1 bathroom, 1 half bathroom

Bathroom 1

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Shower room 1

Shower only

Toilet 1

Toilet

Spaces

Deck or patio

Kitchen

Garden

Dining Area

About this property

Built in 1847, The Old School is a beautiful 4 bedroom Grade II listed country house in the village of Icklesham which was completely renovated to a high standard in 2011. A stunning high-end interior designed house (featured in September's 2012's Edition of Ideal Homes Magazine) that has everything you want for a fantastic holiday, providing a relaxing environment to unwind, especially well-equipped for families with children. Outside, it has a lovely fully enclosed lawned garden with a summer house, equipped with its own bar and a large patio area. Located in the pretty rural surroundings of the Brede Valley, in-between the historic towns of Rye & Hasting, it is also within easy reach of Camber Beach and Battle, so you can enjoy both country and coastal life at The Old School. There's lots to do for all ages in the area - walking, golf, cycling, watersports, kite-surfing, shopping, eating great food, visiting historic castles, art galleries or public gardens to name a few.

Property manager

Lucy Krigstein

Languages

English

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Amenities

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Pet-friendly

Outdoor space

Barbecue grill

Kitchen

Washer

Outdoor space

Barbecue grill

House Rules

Check in after 3:30 PM

Minimum age to rent: 21

Check out before 10:30 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Events

No events allowed

Pets

Pets allowed: dogs and cats (limit 3 total)

We charge £20 per pet.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited

Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property

Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

About the area

Icklesham

Located in Winchelsea, this vacation home is in a rural area and by the sea. Camber Castle and Lamb House are local landmarks, and some of the area's attractions include East Hill Lift and Shipwreck and Coastal Heritage Centre. Traveling with kids? Consider Blue Reef Aquarium and West Hill Lift.

Icklesham, East Sussex

What's nearby

Winchelsea Beach - 7 min drive
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve - 9 min drive
Pett Level Beach - 9 min drive
Camber Sands - 17 min drive
Great Dixter House and Gardens - 19 min drive

Getting around

Winchelsea Station - 5 min drive
Gatwick Airport (LGW) - 100 min drive

Restaurants

The Three Oaks Pub - 5 min drive
The Red Lion Inn - 11 min drive
Ypres Castle Inn - 9 min drive
The Ship Inn - 6 min drive
The Three Legs Brewing Company Limited - 14 min drive

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.

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9.0/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

9.6/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

8/10 Good

Kerrie M., Bracknell, UK

8 Jan 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

NYE with friends

NYE with friends! We booked this property as it had large communal spaces for entertaining over the new year period with friends and was within driving distance of attractions such as Rye, Camber Sands and Hastings. There was the bonus of a pub within a few feet that we had dinner at on the first night. The property is lovely and has great space to socialise in along with a big fireplace that we used each day. The property is well equipped with everything we needed. This is a charming old property in a small village that has been converted, so there is as you would expect some things that could do with some TLC and although we had a couple of unforeseen issues, Lucy was a brilliant host and did her upmost to resolve these super quickly.

Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lucy T.

24 Aug 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fantastic stay!

I booked this house for my Dad's 60th birthday. We wanted a base which was near places like Hastings & Rye, the location was perfect. Really close to lots of fun things to do and the house was exactly how it looked in the pictures, probably better! It had everything we needed and really was a home from home. Lucy has been super helpful in the process of booking the house and at the time of our stay. We will definitely be back!

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Angharad K.

9 Aug 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Holiday stay

Beautiful house, very clean, great location

Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sue B., London

24 Jul 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family get together

The design of the house was very light and spacious. We loved the communal areas which were perfect for our family get together of seven adults and four children under seven. The kitchen, dining, sitting area and the garden all had plenty of seating and games for adults and children. The ‘bar’ in the garden wasn’t really clean and tidy but we didn’t need to use it. Easy drives to the beaches and Rye and a beautiful walk from the house to see Standing Stones, a windmill and farm and woodland made this a great location.

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

George B.

23 Jul 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful spacious property + super host

Beautiful spacious property, host Lucy really took care of us in the run up to our stay and was really accommodating with check in and check out. Also provided great recommendations!

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

About the host

Hosted by Lucy Krigstein

I live in London, England with my husband, daughter and son. We both work in London but bought The Old School in 2010 as we wanted to spend weekends out of the city and enjoy the English countryside at its best. We love the house and buying in the beautiful area of Icklesham, on the Brede Valley, with the beach a short distance away, was the best decision we ever made for us and our children. We both love travelling and are lucky enough to have visited many far flung countries and have brought pieces of furniture back with us from our travels which we've used to decorate the house. Our favourite past times are cooking, socialising with friends, playing and watching sports and skiing.

Why they chose this property

We bought The Old School after falling in love with the area. We wanted a house with lots of character in a village with a great pub, close to the beach and beautiful country walks. Icklesham gave us all of that -its on the edge of the stunning Brede Valley with plenty of walking and cycling routes and we have the award-winning, family-friendly Queen's Head pub a few minutes walk away with wonderful staff and food. The picturesque towns of Winchelsea and Rye are close-by and there is lots to do in the area for all ages, whatever the weather.

Being close to Camber Beach is heaven in the summer time although we can enjoy blustering walks all through the winter too. The location is easy to get to from London via road or train.

Overall, we love the area!

What makes this property unique

The Old School, dating from 1845, is a unique property with great open plan, double height ceiling space in the living area and cosy bedrooms. We've completely refurbished it inside whilst retaining the important period features such as the huge fireplace.

It's perfect for families too with the large self-contained garden making is safe for kids to run around in. We've tried to supply all the practical and fun things you need when holidaying with children.

If you love good food, there are numerous fantastic restaurants in the area and the beaches of Camber and Winchelsea are a short drive away for all the beach-lovers. If you like an active holiday, there are so many options available from watersports, golf, tennis to bowling to name a few. There really is something for everyone!