We recently stayed at Downedge for a big family gathering - 6 adults and 6 children and the house was absolutely perfect for us. There is so much space everywhere - big hall with very helpful church pew so there's lots of seating while putting shoes on/taking shoes off. Off the hall is a living room with open fire, music room/library, dining room, play room, downstairs shower room and toilet, and at the back of the house, a great big kitchen diner stretching right across the width of the house. There's also a utility area with excellent washing machine and tumble dryer - perfect for young families and well used by us. The kitchen diner is absolutely delightful - modern, tasteful and very practical. We actually used this space for all our meals rather than the dining room as it was so convenient. There's a big range cooker and dishwasher which are both very useful for big families. The kitchen diner has bifold doors which open out on to the most amazing garden. The grounds are beautiful and extensive and our 6 children had so much fun exploring the wooded area (which they nicknamed Cousins Corner and where they held secret meetings!), playing on the trampoline, running in the grounds, seeing the horses in the field behind the house, and swinging in the hammock. The games room in the garden was also very popular for playing pool/snooker and table tennis.
In addition to the fabulous space and planting in the garden, there are numerous wild rabbits which you can watch from the kitchen diner, and we spotted red squirrels, a woodpecker and lots of other small garden birds.
Upstairs the house has a split level with 2 bedrooms - 1 double with en-suite (containing a shower) and a twin bedroom with a Jack & Jill bathroom (with a bath and separate shower). At the top of the stairs there are 4 more bedrooms and another Jack & Jill bathroom with shower - 2 double bedrooms, 1 twin and a room with bunk beds and a single bed. The upstairs rooms also had plenty of space and overlooked various aspects of the garden. Some of the mattresses were a little uncomfortable but once we padded them out with blankets they were ok and everyone was so tired every day that we all slept really well.
Brading is a good base. There's a small village very close to the house but Ryde Tesco is very close by and they deliver groceries to Downedge if you shop online. From the house you can walk on to the downs but also walk across to the coast and Yaverland beach which is great for exploring.
We all had a really super holiday and can't wait to go back!! I'd highly recommend Downedge to anyone wanting a great family space for a relaxing getaway.