We will be very sad to leave what has been our home for the past 42 years and where our family, now spread throughout the world, still consider to be their family home. However, health issues mean that we must pass this special place on for new owners to enjoy. On a practical note there are photovoltaic panels on the roofs to generate electricity and solar panels for heating and hot water. The windows have high quality Wynstanley double glazing and the walls and attic have excellent insulation. Living in a small private lane, which isn’t a thoroughfare, has made it very safe for children and pets. In such a rural setting with a thriving village and so many amenities on our doorstep, which include the nearby coast, we feel that we have had the best of all worlds. An extra bonus is that the field opposite our home is part of an ancient trust and cannot be built on, nowadays it is very rare to have a guaranteed view. The garden is alive with birds and over the years we have created various areas to enjoy these spectacular unbroken views across the valley with so many friends and family.
Elham has two churches, a grocery/newsagents shop, a doctors surgery and a primary school. It is delightful and rather unique in having two village squares which are surrounded by beautiful historic houses full of individual characteristics, there are over 40 listed buildings in the village. It also has three historic hostelries one of which has been exquisitely restored as both a gastro pub and a restaurant, it has recently gained the awarded for being the best pub of the year in Kent. The equally historic Abbot’s Fireside ‘restaurant avec chambers’, the Rose and Crown pub and the Cosy Tearooms means that there is always somewhere local to enjoy a meal and meet up with friends and family. The village hall has tennis courts and offers a variety of activities such as yoga classes, Pilates and badminton and there is also an active football and cricket club. There are plenty of places for bracing walks in the countryside and for golf enthusiasts the nearby Etching Hill and Roundhall golf clubs offer very good facilities. For those who enjoy riding the local stables at Stablegate Equestrian offer the opportunity to ride in the 440 acres of the neighboring Lyminge Forest. Commuters can drive to stations at Folkestone West or Ashford International and boarding the high speed train can arrive at St Pancras Station, London in 47 minutes. There is also a regular bus service which operates daily between Folkestone and Canterbury. It is also highly convenient for the Channel Tunnel terminal which is just 20 minutes’ drive away from our home and the cross-channel ferries run from nearby Dover too.
The local primary school is very well respected, whilst Canterbury and Folkestone have excellent grammar schools, some rated to be outstanding by Ofsted. There are also several first-class private schools in the area, the most famous being the Kings School Canterbury. The cathedral city of Canterbury offers historic buildings, high street stores, independent shops, pubs and restaurants, two theatres, a cinema complex and three universities. Folkestone has delightful eateries, unique shops, galleries and theatre in the newly created Creative Quarter and harbour area.