There are sweeping sea views from this Grade II-listed Hastings house, which comes steeped in history and fresh from a full renovation.

Elizabeth Blackwell – who was the first qualified woman doctor in the world – lived in the blue-shuttered Georgian property, known as Rock House, for 30 years. Not just a retirement home, she used it as a base to continue her medical writings, working from a study that overlooked the English Channel.

It’s only the second time the UK property – listed for £950k with Knight and Knoxley – has been up for sale in the last century, and it has been given an extensive refurb. The home’s interiors have been left purposefully raw, with plaster exposed and floorboards stripped back and left unvarnished.

Original panelling and patches of paint have also been uncovered, and Georgian fireplaces restored to working order. Blackwell’s office has been converted into a double bedroom, and there are four more rooms for guests to stay in, as well as a sun terrace for taking in Rock House’s sea views. The East Sussex property sits in the centre of Hastings’ old town, and is a short walk from the seafront.

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