A grand Georgian house you can rent, with sweeping views over the South Downs

There are few honest people who would turn down the chance to live in West Sussex, moments from the South Downs and surrounded by 17 acres of verdant countryside. Even less so when the offer is to live in a Georgian house with six bedrooms, ample living space and a 14m infinity pool to boot. While that is not exactly a reality that most of us are facing, you can at least fake it for a few nights at Honeybridge Estate. The 17 acre grounds near Steyning and Arundel in West Sussex hold many amenities and three accommodation options, but the jewel in the Honeybridge crown is the main house. A grand white building, it stands proudly overlooking the rolling hills of the downs on one side, with the formal driveway, walled garden and fountain on the other. The most remarkably clever thing about Honeybridge is that – bar one bathroom and a dining room – every single room in the six bedroom house looks out on a marvellous view. It’s a lush landscape of ancient oaks, green grass and endless unfurling vistas.

The house is a classically grand and elegant Georgian design. Enter through the heavy wooden door and you step into a central hallway, with a curving staircase leading to the bedrooms upstairs, a large and comfortable living room on one side and an airy kitchen with a long dining table on the other, accessed via a wide corridor that has a snug and a smaller dining room going off on either side. The house dates back to 1890 but underwent extensive renovations and re-modelling in 1972 and 2020 to bring it up to date for modern life with its period charm intact. The interiors are incredibly comfortable, with a plethora of antiques from around the world, swathes of floral fabrics and rooms in lovely muted colours. It feels nothing like a rental house and everything like a well-loved home.

The house is engineered for socialising; the kitchen wouldn’t feel full even with 20 people in there and the dining table that extends the length of it can easily seat 14. The same is true for the dining table on the terrace that wraps around two sides of the house; this terrace leads down to the pool below, as well as to a cricket pitch, swings and zipwire. Though the pool is on the lower ground floor, beneath the rest of the house , it is built in such a way that you can walk out of its glass doors directly onto the main lawn. With its heated water, jacuzzi, fitness equipment, sauna and plenty of toys and inflatables, there is everything you could need to keep young and old guests entertained for hours.

For a house that sleeps up to 16 people, you’d be hard pressed to ever feel on top of the other guests. It’s a huge help that every bedroom has its own ensuite shower room, and there’s a further family bathroom with a rolltop bath. Two rooms also have their own terrace and the largest bedroom – right at the top of the house – is in fact a suite with a living area as well. You could quite easily lose a family member or friend for hours, only to find they’ve been curled up in a comfy chair with a book or wandered down to the fishing lake, tennis court or communal games room that is shared with the barn and cottage on the estate. What this really means is, while Honeybridge Estate is located brilliantly for country walks, pubs and snooping around the antiques shops of Arundel and beyond, there is really no need to leave. You can even arrange for a chef to cater to your every whim so low supplies don’t even tempt you to leave the comfort of a cocktail by the heated pool. The cupboards are well stocked with games, there are books to read and a Sonos system is connected to all the communal spaces, even the pool.

I can think of no place I’d rather spend Christmas – it’s a house that caters to such events and cooking there is a breeze; the kitchen is high spec but not in a way that alienates the less confident cooks among us. Big birthday bashes, large family gatherings, even a small wedding would all be wonderful excuses to book out the house and pretend – even just for a brief moment – that you own it.

Honeybridge Estate: honeybridgeestate.co.uk