THE launch onto the market of three idyllic Sussex houses that have survived storms, fire, war and pestilence during their long and often eventful histories reminds one that England’s green and pleasant land will still be there when the present emergency is over.
Champions Farm near Thakeham, West Sussex, which is for sale though Knight Frank (020–7861 1093) and Savills (020– 7016 3713) at a guide price of £3.695 million, was first mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, when it was held by a Richard Champneys and, later, by a Gilbert Champion or Campion, who was probably a kinsman. The estate, known as Champneys, was a freehold of the manor of Thakeham, when it was bought by John Shelley, reputedly between 1662 and 1668.
The long driveway gives a wonderful first impression of Highfield, a superb early Victorian home at Sedlescombe, East Sussex. £2.75m
According to the Victoria County History, either Shelley or his son, Timothy, built the main estate house that was then much larger, having two storeys, attics and some 13 rooms. In about 1820, by which time the estate was known as Champions, a fire destroyed a large part of the house, including the hall and main staircase. Champions remained in the Shelley family until 1850, when it was bought by the King family, who put it back on the market in 1921.
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