Harbour Rise near Bleak House up for sale for £2.25million

A house in the shadows of the country manor where Charles Dickens wrote many of his novels has gone on the market for £2.25million   

The world-famous author holidayed at Bleak House in Broadstairs, Kent every summer for almost two decades, and penned David Copperfield there.

Harbour Rise sits directly in front of it, with only one room that offers a view of the Dickensian home, where you can see the study where he used to write. 

But despite its prominent position in the popular seaside town, it is described by estate agents as a ‘hidden gem’, concealed behind walls and tall hedges.

Harbour Rise (pictured centre) in the shadows of Bleak House, the Kent country manor where Charles Dickens wrote many of his novels (pictured right) has gone on the market for £2.25million

Inside: Harbour Rise in Broadstairs, Kent, boasts nine bedrooms and four bathrooms (one pictured) and amazing sea views 

Inside: Harbour Rise in Broadstairs, Kent, boasts nine bedrooms and four bathrooms (one pictured) and amazing sea views 

The historic property with stunning sea views was once a row of tiny fishermen's cottages and a stable block where they kept horses that used to pull boats up onto the shore in the 17th century. Pictured: upstairs landing 

The historic property with stunning sea views was once a row of tiny fishermen’s cottages and a stable block where they kept horses that used to pull boats up onto the shore in the 17th century. Pictured: upstairs landing 

A gorgeous blue ceramic fireplace is pictured inside Harbour Rise, which is near Bleak House where Charles Dickens stayed 

A gorgeous blue ceramic fireplace is pictured inside Harbour Rise, which is near Bleak House where Charles Dickens stayed 

The historic property with stunning sea views was once a row of tiny fishermen’s cottages and a stable block where they kept horses that used to pull boats up onto the shore in the 17th century.

During the Napoleonic Wars it became a garrison for soldiers, while Bleak House was home to the commander, who once used it to stop smugglers infiltrating some nearby sea caves. 

The property is a 30-second walk from the beach and all the main rooms offer sea views with hardly any other buildings in sight.

The garden is enclosed and raised so the lawns cannot be seen from the sea wall below or the paths next to the house.

Bleak House can only be seen from the raised parking area, which is linked to the garden by a flight of steps.

The world-famous author holidayed at Bleak House in Broadstairs, Kent every summer for almost two decades, and penned David Copperfield there. Harbour Rise sits just in front of it (pictured) 

The world-famous author holidayed at Bleak House in Broadstairs, Kent every summer for almost two decades, and penned David Copperfield there. Harbour Rise sits just in front of it (pictured) 

An old postcard shows what the nearby beach in Broadstairs, Kent used to look like when it was flooded with visitors 

An old postcard shows what the nearby beach in Broadstairs, Kent used to look like when it was flooded with visitors 

Harbour Rise: A ground floor plan shows the size of the luxury home, which has gone on the market for £2.25million 

Harbour Rise: A ground floor plan shows the size of the luxury home, which has gone on the market for £2.25million 

A first and second floor plan shows the four bathrooms and nine bedrooms the new buyer will get to enjoy in Broadstairs 

A first and second floor plan shows the four bathrooms and nine bedrooms the new buyer will get to enjoy in Broadstairs 

The house has 5,205 sq ft of accommodation with a dining room, kitchen, sitting room, playroom, studio, cellar, nine bedrooms and four bathrooms.

There is also a cave under the cliff at the garden level which is used for storage.

Owner John Pluthero, a 54-year-old company chairman, said: ‘We bought it 12 years ago because we wanted to find a base in the UK by the sea that the children could enjoy and this was just perfect.

‘The house has an extraordinary history to it. It’s in an L-shape and is made up of a Victorian part and a 17th century part.

‘The earlier part was a row of four tiny one-up one-down fishermen’s cottages and the bit that directly faces the sea was the stables where they kept their horses that pulled the boats up onto the shore.

The living area of Harbour Rise is pictured in a stylish modern interior, with a glass door that looks out to the sea 

The living area of Harbour Rise is pictured in a stylish modern interior, with a glass door that looks out to the sea 

The dining room is decorated in a much more traditional style with more stunning sea views of the English Channel 

The dining room is decorated in a much more traditional style with more stunning sea views of the English Channel 

‘In the Napoleonic Wars it became a garrison, we have some old postcards where you can see the gun placements in the garden and when I do the gardening occasionally I’ve found old bullet casings and things.

‘We’re directly under Bleak House, which has the Dickens’ connection, but during the Napoleonic Wars it was the commander’s house and he would stand up there and look for ships.

‘It was also used by the King’s men to try to stop smugglers. There’s a set of caves that run from the sea up to our garden and then into Bleak House, but they’ve been blocked off now.

The house has 5,205 sq ft of accommodation with a dining room, kitchen, sitting room, playroom, studio, cellar, nine bedrooms and four bathrooms. Pictured: Downstairs entrance and staircase 

The house has 5,205 sq ft of accommodation with a dining room, kitchen, sitting room, playroom, studio, cellar, nine bedrooms and four bathrooms. Pictured: Downstairs entrance and staircase 

Colourful tiles cover the ground floor entrance at Harbour Rise in Broadstairs, Kent, which is now up for £2.25million 

Colourful tiles cover the ground floor entrance at Harbour Rise in Broadstairs, Kent, which is now up for £2.25million 

Intricate woodwork adorns some of the rooms at Harbour Rise in Broadstairs, Kent, which has gone on sale for £2.25million 

Intricate woodwork adorns some of the rooms at Harbour Rise in Broadstairs, Kent, which has gone on sale for £2.25million 

‘The extraordinary thing about the property is we’re 30 seconds walk from the beach and right in the thick of it, but no one knows we are there.

‘The house is completely secluded and not overlooked. The only room in Bleak House that overlooks us is the one they preserved as Dickens’ writing room.

‘It’s the perfect family home, great for kids to run around in the garden and go to the beach. Broadstairs is very much that bit of old English seaside and this is the perfect house for long summers. We’ve always had lots of family come to stay.’

Dickens first stayed at Bleak House in Broadstairs in 1837, when he was 25, and was finishing his novel The Pickwick Papers. 

He stayed there every summer after that until 1852, when he started to feel it had become too busy and noisy.

In 1852 he went to Dover instead and in 1855 he went to Folkstone. He stayed in Broadstairs for the last time in 1859.

He is said to have written parts of many of his early novels in the house, including Nicholas Nickleby, Barnaby Rudge and Dombey & Son and started drafting ideas for Bleak House.

At the time the property was called Fort House, but was renamed Bleak House because of its connection with the famous author after his death in 1870. 

The property is a 30-second walk from the beach and all main rooms offer sea views with hardly any other buildings in sight

The property is a 30-second walk from the beach and all main rooms offer sea views with hardly any other buildings in sight

Picture perfect: The nearby beach at Broadstairs in Kent is visited by thousands of people every year and is a short walk from both Bleak House and Harbour Rise 

Picture perfect: The nearby beach at Broadstairs in Kent is visited by thousands of people every year and is a short walk from both Bleak House and Harbour Rise 



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