Property of the Month: a Hollywood mansion in Surrey

A slow drive through Kingswood in Surrey reveals at first glance a tidy, respectable and understated commuter village.

At lunchtime its pub hums with friendly locals as well as, occasionally, workers from the big Legal and General office block on the village’s outskirts. And trains whirr through its small railway station every half an hour or so, from which Victoria is a 40-minute ride away.

But Kingswood is, if you pry a little harder, undergoing significant change as many of its smaller 'estate' houses are knocked down and modern mansions built in their place – attracting grumbles from some residents but also high-profile arrivals including a clutch of premier league footballers.

One couple who have direct experience of Kingswood’s slow transformation are Sarah Ward and Carl Turpin who are selling their home, rather mysteriously called Hollywood, on Warren Drive to the south of the village’s centre.

Five years ago Carl, before he met Sarah,  bought a nearly derelict bungalow within a large plot and set about building his ideal home within it to a style which reflects his exuberant personality in a mock Georgian style.

“This area has changed a lot over the years mainly because many of its properties, which historically had always come with big gardens, began to be worth less than the development value of the overall plot and so rebuilding has taken off,” says Carl as we talk in his kitchen, overlooking the back garden and its swimming pool.

And he should know. If you live in the South East of England then there is a good chance that Carl had a hand in building your home; he used to work for builder Oakdene Homes where he oversaw the construction of some 3,000 houses.

And once a house builder, always one, it would seem. His energies are currently focussed on selling his current house, which is on the market with local agent Kennedys for £2.75m, so he can build a new home for him and Sarah. The couple married recently and want to build a larger house next door to accommodate their combined brood of seven.

And it’s no surprise that Carl and Sarah are, more or less, staying put. Kingswood is the sensible choice for anyone who wants to be inside the M25, close to the M23, Gatwick and have direct access to fast trains up to central London.

The downside is that prices here are on a par with more famous names nearby such as the leafier parts of Epsom and Leatherhead. A drive to less up-market Banstead is required to get similar houses for less.

One thing is for sure – mansions like this are a distinct feature of the Surrey commuter belt these days and like Hollywood they often have a Georgian flavour with pillared porticos, wrought iron entrance gates and heavy, wooden sash windows – although few have two large, marble lions guarding the front door that Hollywood does.

Inside Carl and Sarah’s house features vast rooms throughout despite looking relatively compact and bijou from the front. This includes the kitchen, lounge and dining room as well as the large hallway, which easily accommodates the large, sold oak stairway Carl put in.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms three with large ensuite bathrooms and, on the top floor, a vast children’s suite with a further two bedrooms.

While walking around these spaces it’s clear Sarah wants to get stuck into designing her own home. An interior designer with a long track record including hundreds of private homes as well as even more show homes for builders such as Wimpey, she has worked for footballers, heads of state, rock musician and TV presenters. Until recently, she was a member of the British Interior Design Association and is now on the board of the Society of British Interior Design.

So it would be fair to say this should be at the very least one of the best-built houses in the country and most tastefully designed inside, given Carl and Sarah's professional backgrounds. And after two hours spent viewing it, it's in the running although, if you buy it, judge for yourself - but don't be too harsh; remember the couple will be your neighbours.