Hartfield,
East Sussex was the home of A.A. Milne and you can clearly see how these truly
heart-stirring surrounds inspired Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh’s
frivolous adventures. It is quintessentially English and, on occasion, it feels
as though little must have changed since Milne arrived in 1924.
Of course,
modern life has caught up with Hartfield to some extent. It sits just 10 miles
from popular Tunbridge Wells with convenient rail connections and the A22
providing access to the M25, London and Gatwick airport. None of these things having
been of much interest to Winnie nor Christopher who much preferred to play in
the 100 acre wood, the enchanted place, pooh bridge and pooh corner. And yes, all
of these locations do actually exist today – apparently somewhat to the chagrin
of the real Christopher Robin Milne who would quite like to be allowed to grow
up one day. In addition to “Pooh-spots”, additional areas of great beauty are
the Groombridge Place Gardens and Penshurt Place & Gardens.
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| Penhurst Place & Gardens |
The
property that was previously home to A.A. Milne and the real Christopher Robin
is called Cotchford Farm and it now acts as a regular stopoff for passing
tourists. Also a little to the annoyance of the current owners. In the garden
you will still see a statue of Robin, himself.
Oddly, this
same property also homed Brian Jones from the Rolling stones in the ´60’s who
installed some contrasting décor touches such as pink fluorescent lighting and
panes of coloured glass.
In general,
the architectural style of Hartfield is traditional – much like other areas of
East Sussex – with a use of flint due to its geological presence. Average
house prices in the area are of around £300,000 but, despite Hartfield’s
celebrity status, it is Colemans Hatch that tops East Sussex’s price list with
a £640,000 property recently for sale. Reportedly house prices have risen 8% in
the last 12 months and 12% since 2010!
With
figures like these, it’s evident that Hartfield’s charm isn’t just alluring to
Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Roo. And with just a 1.5 hour transit time between
Hartfield and London, it’s no surprise.
Dawson & Associates is located in Rye in East Sussex. Our
professional property services stretch across the whole of the UK as well as
international locations such as France and Spain. Tel. +44 (0) 1424 882263
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