Four bed family home for sale in grounds of historic 200-year-old fort
A Grade II-listed house complete with its own historic defence fort in the grounds has gone on sale for £1.5m.
Four-bedroom property High Beeches, near Caterham in Surrey, not only comes with an Airbnb annexe but also historic Fosterdown Fort which was built in the late 19th century as part of the London Defence Positions designed to protect the capital from foreign invasion.
One of 13 small polygonal forts built to form a line of entrenchments which could be quickly excavated in an emergency, the fort contains a number of features, including its original ammo store.
Each fort was equipped with all the stores and ammunition that would be needed by the troops tasked with digging and manning the positions.
The London Defence Positions were abandoned in about 1905 and the building was sold in 1920. For much of the 20th century it was used as a field study centre for school groups.
The main Grade II-listed house, which sits in the Surrey Hills area of outstanding natural beauty, close to the town of Caterham, is in a red-brick lodge style with vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and other original features.
It has an open-plan hallway with large lounge with mezzanine and space for an office or guest room, a kitchen/dining room, plus four bedrooms, one with an en-suite, and a family bathroom.
Outside, a separate annexe currently used as an Airbnb has its own parking space and patio with a studio-style living area with a walk-in rain shower room.
A potting shed, accessed through the shower room, is used as a viewing area for visitors who want to enjoy the nightly badger, fox and deer visits to the garden from the surrounding woodland.
'The Good Life'
Independent estate agent Melanie Attwater, who is selling the High Beeches, said the house belonged to a professional couple with a grown-up family who are relocating abroad.
She said: "It would be the perfect retreat for a family who want to live close to nature. It’s the ultimate wildlife sanctuary.
"As well as the amazing lawn for games of football or rugby with the kids, there’s a real chance to lead 'The Good Life' with an established vegetable garden and greenhouse.
"The Fort could provide the perfect opportunity to run a small at-home business or even to rent out as a shoot location."
Is it that unusual to be able to buy a fort?
Fosterdown Fort isn't the first fort to hit the property market - they're more common than you might think.
Earlier this year Spitbank Fort, based in the Solent, which comes with eight/nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, three reception rooms, a roof terrace, a sauna, a spa, a cellar, and a cinema room, went on the market for £3m.
In March, Fort Hubberstone, which stands over the Milford Haven estuary in Pembrokeshire, Wales, also went on the market - but for just £190,000.
