For Sale4 Bedroom Detached House in Sturry Hill, Sturry, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 0NG£800,000

This was the home of Kinn Hamilton McIntosh MBE, professionally known as crime writer Catherine Aird. She lived there from the age of sixteen until her death last year at the age of 94 and where her father had run his medical practice. Indeed, some of the rooms still resonate with the past as the study was the doctor’s surgery and the adjacent bathroom was originally the waiting room, while the large open shelving in the hall was the dispensary. Although it is in a specific Conservation Area there is likely to be the opportunity to develop the footprint of at least some of the outbuildings, subject to planning and, as the house is not Grade II Listed, there is the potential to extend as well as modernise if required. Historically there had been plans approved to build a bungalow in the orchard so, while those plans have long since lapsed, alternative plans could be put forward. As well as the station there are also regular buses to Canterbury, Herne Bay and the Thanet Towns. The village also includes a convenience store, pharmacy, hairdressers and the famous Kings School prep school as well as a primary school rated Outstanding by Ofsted. While nearby Fordwich features the George and Dragon pub restaurant as well as the Michelin Star Fordwich Arms. For anyone who enjoys outdoor pursuits it is not far to the Canterbury golf course and there are wonderful places to go for a stroll with the dog. Sturry has a cricket club, and fishing is available on the river Stour and the nearby Westbere Lakes offers sailing opportunities as well as fishing, while other sporting activities can be found at the Polo Farm Club and the Kingsmead Leisure Centre in Canterbury. The property is close to a large retail park and only a short drive or bus ride to the centre of the historic city of Canterbury with its ancient buildings, high street stores, individual shops, bars, restaurants and theatres as well as a plethora of educational facilities including excellent grammar and private schools, three universities and a further education college. Historical Note. Catherine Aird wrote more than 20 crime novels and a number of short stories and was the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crime Writers Association Diamond Dagger Award, while under her own name she wrote books about the local areas.