Going Coastal
Sussex Life|September 2019
The Sweetnam family had a breathtaking coastal view and no way to enjoy it. So their dated bungalow had to go… and the only way was up
Janet McMeekin
Going Coastal

As Carole Sweetnam strolls out of her back garden and pushes the rickety wooden gate leading directly onto a wide expanse of beach, she has absolutely no regrets about the decision to transform a dilapidated bungalow into a smart New England-style home.

“My husband David and his sister, Sarah, enjoyed so many magical family holidays here at Bracklesham Bay in West Sussex, when they were growing up,” she says.

“However, as the years rolled on, the small original bungalow – which had been in David’s family since the 1940s – became increasingly tired and dated. It was abundantly clear that it was crying out for a major overhaul.”

Six years ago, the Sweetnams decided the time was right to knock the property down and replace it with Long Island – a much larger home that would be the perfect place to both rent out and enjoy making memories with their family.

With their main home located in Oxfordshire, and leading incredibly busy lives (David is one of London’s leading sports knee surgeons and Carole manages his orthopaedic practice), David and Carole called on the expertise of neighbours Clare and Murray Johnstone, who had created their own stylish New England-style home right next door: “Clare and Murray, who used to run the nearby coastal café, Billy’s on the Beach, are a really enterprising pair. We loved their home and reckoned it would be ideal if they’d project manage our build,” says Carole.

Bu hikaye Sussex Life dergisinin September 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Sussex Life dergisinin September 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SUSSEX LIFE DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
TAKE YOUR TIME
Sussex Life

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

time-read
7 dak  |
November 2020
Decorative art
Sussex Life

Decorative art

Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2020
ON THE FRONT FOOT
Sussex Life

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

time-read
8 dak  |
November 2020
NAKED AMBITION
Sussex Life

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

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2020
ROCKET MAN
Sussex Life

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

time-read
6 dak  |
November 2020
Revolution man
Sussex Life

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?

time-read
8 dak  |
November 2020
THE DIARY
Sussex Life

THE DIARY

17 exciting things to do this month in East and West Sussex

time-read
8 dak  |
November 2020
All in a day's work
Sussex Life

All in a day's work

Meet Tim Dummer, who has helped keep Midhurst’s Cowdray Estate shipshape for an impressive five decades

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2020
My favourite Sussex
Sussex Life

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

time-read
2 dak  |
November 2020
10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove
Sussex Life

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

time-read
4 dak  |
November 2020