This Portsmouth villa with a swimming pool and hot tub is up for sale

It’s a property he knows well – it was among the first he took on and then sold when he opened his Fine and Country office in April, 2009, achieving a price of £590,000.

But even before that sale a decade ago, while he was director in another Portsmouth agency in 2002 he had already found a new owner with £347,495 paid by a couple who installed the pool for their daughter, a synchronised swimmer.

The property in question, Highbank, at 183, Havant Road, was built in 1902 for the First Sea Lord at Portsmouth Naval Base but since then it has seen various uses, including as a doctor’s surgery, thanks to its location close to all of Drayton’s many facilities.

Now Colin is inviting potential buyers to give the house a check-up and he’s sure that the sympathetically updated property will pass the most detailed examination.

‘This house may have a history stretching back almost 120 years but it’s still thoroughly contemporary when it comes to meeting the needs of buyers,’ explains Colin.

‘There has been careful attention given to preserving a number of original features but the modern touches – a pool carefully controlled to minimise environmental impact, a hot tub, and a remote controlled video entry system among them, ensure Highbank now meets modern demands.

‘Highbank’s name is obvious when you see its position set back from the road in an elevated position. The plot is well suited to the house, which has a long paved driveway to the side leading to the garage block and then a 200ft garden stretching back from a lower patio area that’s accessible from the pool and a loggia.

‘The garden is enclosed on all sides and has many mature shrubs, evergreens and bushes to give a good degree of privacy. Steps lead up to the lawn and there are stepping stones and a paved path leading to a circular paved feature. There’s also a decked area with pergola.

‘Naturally, the new occupants can’t spend their whole life in the garden so the house is ready to cosset them, too. A house of this size is expected to have generous reception space and Highbank does not disappoint with its three well-proportioned rooms in addition to the superb kitchen / breakfast room.

‘A useful feature is a shower room adjacent to the pool and separate from the cloakroom while the pool equipment is neatly housed in a boiler room.

‘The split-level landing leads to four bedrooms and a family bathroom where the free standing claw foot bath is an attractive feature.

‘The bathroom is complemented by a separate cloakroom.

‘From two of the bedrooms, there are views across the rooftops to Portsmouth. No doubt the original occupant enjoyed looking down towards his domain – rather less occupied by houses than it is today but still a spectacular outlook even now.’

- Guide price is £750,000 (EPC Band E).

For more details, contact Fine and Country Drayton on (023) 9327 7277 or email [email protected].