Pool, gardens and grounds
It would be remiss to miss out details of the spa. Head out there to splash and soak in the 40-foot swimming pool, bubble the day away in the sunken hot tub and sizzle in the sauna and steam room.
You’ve more Jacuzzi jinks outdoors. Head out there at night to simmer and soak, listen to the waves wash up on the beach and stare at the stars. Towel off and get together in the gazebo, burn some wood on the stove, outdo yourself in the outdoor kitchen. Watch the koi cruise the pond. Unlock the gate to the beach and watch the glorious sunsets over Pagham Bay and the Isle of Wight beyond.
Living spaces
The house is gorgeous, an Arts-and-Crafts gem with 7000 square feet of carved panels, parquet flooring, ancient beams, original fireplaces and exterior bargeboards rescued from old ships. But you might want to bag the cosy guest cottage for its underfloor heating, woodburner, kitchen, shower, and direct beach access.
Of course, you’d expect nothing less from a director of Rolls Royce, the creator and curator of this south-coast neo-Tudor nugget. Of course, things have changed since the 1920s. Not least the Smart House tech: the high-speed VDSL broadband, Sky TV, aircon in the south-facing bedrooms and 4K UltraHD home cinema with 87” screen.
Play around on the pool table and football table. Hit the gym for the treadmill, bike, vibroplate and weights deck. Raid the drinks fridge in the drawing-room wet bar. Tap into Netflix and the full BT packages on any of 11 TVs, bang out some tunes on Bluetooth, borrow a book from the library and slip away awhile.
Cooking and dining
Hire a private chef and put your feet up. Or jump feet first into the swanky kitchen, with its two electric ovens, one steam oven, five-ring gas hob. When dinner’s ready, there’s room for up to 18 in the dining room. Fill the two main fridges with fresh food from Runcton Farm Shop and the five drinks fridges with bottles from Majestic Wines.
Barbecue on the beach? Well, nearly. It’s just over the fence and the garden gazebo comes with woodburning stove, barbecue and outdoor kitchen and exterior dining area. Eat out on the terrace with plenty of Prosecco in the south-coast sunshine. Finish things off by podding pods into the Nespresso. The guest cottage comes with a fully equipped kitchen, including a stove with 6-ring gas hob, electric hot plate, three ovens along with its own dishwasher and fridge.
Head out to The Walnut Tree in Runcton with its big garden, real ales and British and European cuisine, plunder the traditional English menus at The Waverley on Aldwick seafront or the seafood at the cosy, traditional Crown and Anchor on the quay. Or how about the East Beach Café, with its driftwood look and modern take on seaside dishes?
The Goodwood Hotel bar and grill offers everything from Newhaven battered fish and chips to courgette and mushroom macaroni and afternoon teas. Sample fine dining learnt from the Roux brothers at Chez Moi. Or just tuck into takeaways from So India, Jasmine House (Chinese) and Pizza Hut.
Bedrooms
Aldwick Hundred sleeps up to 20 in seven bedrooms, where original beams meet modern spotlights and Arts-and-Crafts doors open onto plush en-suites and smart TVs. Arrangements are especially good for families looking to form suites.
Bedroom one (Dolphin) is a superking with private bathroom, smart TV and connecting room, while Seahorse is an en-suite offering a zip-and-link twin with a TV and connecting room. Penguin provides a king-size with TV and private bathroom.
There are two bedrooms in the Aldwick Suite. Puffin is a zip-and-link twin with a TV and shares a shower room and separate toilet with Oyster Catcher, which is also a twin zip-and-link. The Aldwick suite lounge area has a kitchenette and TV.
On the second floor, Sandmartin is an en-suite superking with TV and sofa which can be converted to provide further bedding, while en-suite bedroom seven, on the ground floor with step-free access, provides a king-size with TV. There’s a king-size sofa bed, two zedbeds and a large en-suite wet room in the guest cottage for anyone wanting morning yoga on the beach, and the cinema room also offers king-size accommodation.
The bedrooms, guest cottage and games room have availability for extra beds where required via, sofa beds, two cots and two zedbeds.
Children welcome
Loads of room here for the whole family, maybe a couple of friends, too, and even for two of the four-legged variety. There’s a half acre out the back for everyone to enjoy and the garden looks right out across the shingle of Aldwick Bay, peppered with colourful beach huts and promising refreshment in the beach café.
Older children will love the garden facilities. You’ve a full-on spa out there: take a dip in the hot tub, get a sweat on in the sauna and steam room, and splash away a few hours in the 40-foot swimming pool (with lockable safety cover). Stay out there to gaze at the stars from the outdoor hot tub, towel off and gather around the gazebo logburner.
This house might be old, but there’s nothing dated about the total refurbishment that’s taken place inside, not least the Smart House technology that connects to a network over Wi-Fi. At your fingertips, you’ve got super-fast broadband, Sky TV, air-con in rooms that face the sun, and home cinema with 87” screen TV. Pass the popcorn.
Grown-ups not screening what you want? You’ve 10 TVs to pick from here, including one in six out of seven bedrooms. Most rooms have Sky, and Netflix and BT are on tap. Enough screen time? You’ve a pool table and table football and the gym offers a treadmill, bike, vibroplate and weights deck.
What people say
Towering fun, serious speed
It’s off to Portsmouth for the Spinnaker Tower and the historic dockyard. Or maybe a day trip to ticket to Butlin’s for unlimited rides, shows and Splash Waterworld. Potter the cathedral cities of Chichester and Arundel, hop a catamaran to the Isle of Wight, get down to Goodwood for serious speed, or tackle the South Downs Way at your own pace.
