Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Nell Card

Space odyssey: creating room in a family home in Kent

Second look: Jodie Wise in her renovated home.
Second look: Jodie Wise in her renovated home. Photograph: Jo Bridges/The Observer

Kingsdown House is a substantial Victorian home that sits in the shade of a mature oak a few roads back from the seafront in Tankerton, Kent. The home was built by a Dutch shipping magnate in the early 1900s and now belongs to the Wise family – Dan, Jodie and their three school-age children, Cameron, Edie and George.

A suburb of Whitstable, Tankerton has become increasingly popular with families moving out of London (or “DFLs”– Down From London – as they are known locally). “We used to live in Blackheath,” explains Jodie. “Whitstable was only a 50-minute drive from there, so on sunny days, when Cameron was little, we would often come here for the day.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.