Taswell Road, Southsea, PO5

Viewings are highly recommended to view this iconic and unique family home which has so show much living space and character.

This property, a meticulously converted former Victorian/Edwardian public house formerly known as The Taswell Arms, is today an exceptional detached 4 double bedroom family home offering a blend of period charm and modern convenience. The Taswell Arms, built by Pike Spicer and Co., now spans over 3,400 sq ft across four floors and occupies a desirable corner location in Southsea. The refurbishment and conversion works have been recorded in a hardback book for prosperity. The home retains a wealth of original features, including original pillared entrance, tiled pathway to front doors, high ceilings, tongued and grooved panelling in places, etched glass windows (copies of the original), original timber staircase, plasterwork, oak plank floors, and Edwardian timber panel doors. Original timber framed windows with a combination of replacement casement and sash double glazing units allow for excellent natural light throughout the house.

Situated in an established and sought after residential area, the home is close to Southsea’s historic seafront, two local parks including Wimbledon Park recreation ground, the Canoe Lake, local shops in Palmerston Road & Marmion Road, restaurants, bars and the Kings Theatre. There are a broad range of excellent schools including the Portsmouth Grammer School, Portsmouth High School for girls and Mayville.

This unique home offers versatile open plan ground floor living space, 4 double bedrooms on the first floor, a large open plan office/cinema room on the second floor that can be used for a variety of purposes and versatile lower ground floor living space, formerly an air raid shelter and a wine store.

The second floor consists of a large open-plan office/bedroom, cinema room or reception area with excellent natural light, good head height, eaves storage and access to a boarded walk-in storage area. Solar panels, situated out of site on a pitched roof elevation, provide a supplemental income of c£5000 pa to the homeowner.

Serving the property from Wimbledon Park Road there are electronic gates accessing the large courtyard garden which can be used for secure car parking and an attractive recreation and entertainment space, and a lean-to brick storage building. Outdoor CCTV provides secure protection. The property is set back from the boundary wall to provide paved and gravelled areas, lightwells to the lower ground floor and planting. There are 2 front door entrances one off Taswell St with the original twin pub doors and the other fronting Wimbledon Park Road.

This stunning property seamlessly blends historical elegance with modern living, making it an ideal choice for families seeking a spacious and character filled home in a prime Southsea location.
Original architectural features such as fireplaces in all bedrooms and main bathroom, decorative plasterwork, and the original timber staircase serving all floors are preserved. Also provided is zoned underfloor heating on the ground floor (water) and in the bathrooms which are electric. Ceiling mounted speakers throughout the main part of the ground floor offer streamed music to further enjoy this wonderful family area and entertainment space. The Lutron lighting system is zoned and programmable.

The lower ground floor has good natural light, decent head height and recently been professionally tanked so the space is fully waterproofed. There are two good sized rooms, one is a cinema room, and 2 additional storage areas.
The ground floor consists of an open-plan layout with a fully fitted kitchen with a range of floor and wall units, stone work surfaces, an island unit and a “Bertazzoni” range oven. Additionally, there is a dining area, a family seating area with a log burner in the original fireplace, part of the original bar and a games area. There is a separate reception room with built in storage cupboard and sliding double doors, currently used as a children’s toy room, and a utility room housing the Worcester boiler, a range of cabinets, butler style sink and water supply serving an American style fridge/freezer. Direct access to the courtyard garden is via two sets of double doors.There are two cloakrooms each comprising a WC and basin, with ample coat hanging space, adjacent to the two main entrances to the property off Taswell Street and Wimbledon Park Road.

The first floor comprises of four double bedrooms, all with fireplaces and central heating. The main bedroom suite has large sash windows on 3 elevations, decorative cast iron radiators, a tranquil seating area and ensuite (undergoing refurbishment comprising walk in shower, WC and basin). Additionally, there is a family bathroom with a bath/shower, WC, basin, and storage cupboards – one of which houses the hot water cylinder.