Waterside Manor is a beautiful Arts and Crafts house in East Sussex. It’s set beside Bewl Water, a country park on the border of East Sussex and Kent.

The house sleeps up to 18 guests in 8 bedrooms, one of which is a double on the ground floor (although it’s not en-suite). There are 6 other double rooms, and 2 double rooms with an additional single bed in the dressing room. All of the upstairs bedrooms are en-suite, and include a four-poster bed, around which to twirl. The Bramble Suite has its own Cycling Room, and you can pedal off last night’s banquet as you look out over the lake. 

Downstairs, there’s plenty of space for a country house party. The main hallway has a sweeping staircase and galleried landing, and leads to the drawing room, with comfortable sofas and an inglenook fire place. There is also a library, crammed with books (and a Foosball table), a dining room (which seats 18) and a Games Room, with a  table-tennis table, so any spirited guests can be suitably exhausted. 

For late-night brandies, there’s a very comfortable Gun Room , and there’s also a large, practical kitchen with a laundry room.

The house has several sets of French windows, which lead onto the terraces and then down to the lawns. The pebbled shore of the reservoir is beyond a low garden wall. There is also a sheltered parterre garden, a Jacuzzi on the West terrace, and a beautifully mown croquet lawn.

Edmund’s Choice of Extraordinary Feature

“I love lots of things about this house – it’s superbly presented – but my favourite part is the Poop Deck, a covered terrace, from where you can watch the moon glimmer on the lake.” 

About the Location

Waterside Manor is on the East Sussex/ Kent border. It’s about 5 minutes’ drive from the A21, and 30 minutes from the M25. The nearest train station is about ten minutes’ drive away, in Wadhurst. 

Things To Do

Bewl Water itself offers many activities, from cycle-hire to boat-hire, canoeing, walking and fishing. There are some great National Trust properties nearby, including Sissinghurst and Scotney castles, and the glorious Bedgebury Pinetum, for quiet contemplation beneath the trees. 

Weddings

Waterside Manor offers a few dates a year for small and private wedding parties.