The five acres of rolling parkland and exquisite lawn that wrap around this oh-so-English manor house are yours to explore. The kids will love the climbing frame, slide and swings, you’ll love the tipple-friendly terraces with night-time firepit, and everyone will pile into the pool, heated to 28 degrees from May to September.
Don’t bother towelling off, because the hot tub awaits, seating 12 under starlit skies. Keep the amusement coming with rounders, trampolining and football on the lawn. And stay out for supper with meat from the North Chailey Farmer’s Market sizzled on the gas and coal barbecues.
Lord – and Lady – it up in a beautiful, Arts-and-Crafts manor house bursting with period features and contemporary touches. Sussex Manor ticks all the boxes marked ‘cosy’: the inglenook fireplace, the logburner, the wall panels, the rugs and the comfy leather sofas. Just add your favourite people and chillax.
That’s easy here, whether you’re family and friends, kids or even dogs. The indoor entertainment starts in the playroom, stocked up with table tennis, table football and toys for younger children, and continues in the library, where you’ll host the South Downs World Pool Championships.
Next, it’s off to the snug for late-night board games and digital warfare on the Nintendo Switch console. In the evenings, get everyone together for games of charades in front of the fire, or fire up the 49” smart TV for blockbusters and boxed sets over Sky, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix ably assisted by the EE superfast broadband.
Cooking’s a joy on the Aga, hot plate and electric oven, with the American fridge/freezer stocked from the Plumpton village store, Waitrose at Burgess Hill, and farmers’ markets at Middle Farm, Offham and North Chailey. Wash everything down with wine from South Downs Cellars and beer from local breweries such as Bedlam and Hairy Dog.
Need a night off? Call up our caterers for a one-off celebration or fully catered break and wiggle your toes in front of the fire. Eat in the grand dining room with seating for 10 or around the eight-seat kitchen table. Snack at the three-seater breakfast bar. Pool looking enticing? Eat outside in the sunshine with sausages sizzling on the barbecue.
Have a great night in with takeaways from Lewes Castle (Chinese), Domino’s or Papa John’s. Or head out to pubs such as The Jolly Sportsman for Irish rock oysters, lamb chops or venison sausages, or the Ginger Fox for pheasant breast or the vegetarian sharing plate. Or try The Bull at Ditchling for chalkstream trout with samphire.
Try local restaurants with great reviews such as The Cock Inn, home of great Sunday dinners and Biscoff cheesecake, Erawan Thai Bistro and Takeaway for green curry, and French fare at Cote Lewes. Or try upmarket eateries such as Etch in Brighton, with its marmite brioche, or Bell in Ticehurst, where the lampshades are top hats.
With a five-acre cushion of parkland and woodland around you, you won’t need Horlicks at Sussex Manor. The house sleeps 23 in ten bedrooms, while six luxurious bathrooms ensure the utmost comfort. All beds have toppers and ruckus points throughout for superfast EE Wi-Fi.
The master bedroom spoils you with a kingsize four-poster, huge dressing room and en-suite bathroom with rolltop bath. Bedroom two, the Racing Car Room, sleeps three in a double and toddler’s racing-car bed, while bedroom three, the Bunkbed Room, sleeps two in a bunk and interlinks with the Racing Car Room.
Bedroom four, the Middle Back Room, offers a kingsize and en-suite shower room, while bedroom five, the Corner Back Room, provides a double with en-suite shower room. Bedroom six, Right Side Suite, offers a double bed and en-suite bathroom with rolltop bath.
Bedroom seven, the Double Blue Room, is a double and bedroom eight, the Singles Blue Room, sleeps four in two single beds, each with a trundle for children. Bedroom nine, Back Right Second-floor Double is just that, complete with Jack and Jill shower room that’s shared with bedroom ten, Front Right Second-Floor Double.
Unless you live in a classic English Arts and Crafts manor house, children will be awed by the size and scale of Sussex Manor, finding new rooms daily and revelling in being around the whole family. There’s room for 23 here without tripping each other up.
You can even bring the dogs – up to four – to roam the five acres of parkland that touch upon the gorgeous South Downs. There’s plenty of fun out there, including the 12.5-metre swimming pool heated to 28 degrees for five months in summer and the 12-seat – count ‘em – hot tub for older kids.
Budding Novaks and Rafas can waste a few hours whacking balls around the all-weather tennis court – just make sure to supply plenty barley water and then strawberries and cream afterwards. Stay out for sausages and steaks from the gas and coal barbecues, then rip some yarns around the late-night firepit.
Back inside, the playroom offers table tennis, table football and toys, and there’s American pool and books galore in the play room. For Mario and Luigi, head to the snug for the Nintendo Switch. And get together at night for movies and matches on the full Sky package, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, powered by superfast EE.
