“We decided, as an adventure, to have a year in Sussex while the children were small,” says Sue DenhamWade. “That was more than a decade ago.” She and husband Robert Wade, a renowned screenwriter best known for his work on the James Bond films, knew almost immediately that they did not want to return to London. But it was finding their current home in the tiny village of Madehurst, West Sussex, that sealed the deal.
The four-acre property, which backs onto the Dale Park estate, began life as a pair of 17th century cottages: “We believe they housed the laundry for the big house.” They were knocked through into a single house in the early 20th century and each inhabitant since appears to have added to the building, resulting in a sprawling, characterful warren of rooms and staircases. It’s the sort of place where people can easily be together – or very far apart – so is ideally suited to a family of six. “I liked the idea of a place we could also put our mark on,” says Sue, as the family dogs Woody and Alfie follow us excitedly through the house. “And Madehurst is a fantastic place to live – ten minutes to Chichester, 40 minutes to Brighton and yet you feel you’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Sussex Life.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Sussex Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TAKE YOUR TIME
Dean Edwards’ new cookbook features delectable recipes that you can slow cook or stick in the oven. Here’s a selection of the best
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
ON THE FRONT FOOT
The rugby legend took the reins at Sussex County Cricket Club in 2017, rekindling his love for a sport that first won his heart on the village cricket fields of North Yorkshire
NAKED AMBITION
In the 1980s, Christine and Jennifer Binnie partied with Boy George and Marilyn and bared all as performance art collective The Neo-Naturists. Now they are working together to gain the recognition they feel they deserve
ROCKET MAN
Astronaut Tim Peake has come a long way since growing up in Westbourne and attending Chichester High School for Boys: 248 miles above Earth, to be precise. But, he says, life on the International Space Station has a lot in common with family caravanning holidays
Revolution man
Lewes’ most famous resident Thomas Paine may be the greatest propagandist who ever lived. But how did a humble customs and excise officer ignite the touchpaper for revolution in not one but two countries?
THE DIARY
17 exciting things to do this month in East and West Sussex
All in a day's work
Meet Tim Dummer, who has helped keep Midhurst’s Cowdray Estate shipshape for an impressive five decades
My favourite Sussex
Bruce Fogle is an author and a vet with a practice in London who has lived in West Sussex with his wife, the actress Julia Foster, since 1989. He recently became president of RSPCA Mount Noddy near Chichester
10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove
Brighton is often rated one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK. What these restaurants prove is that plant-based food doesn’t have to be puritanical – at all of these places you’ll find big flavours and a desire to push the envelope
