On the market for the first time in over 30 years, Tanyards is a beautifully evolved 17th-century Sussex farmhouse, fronted by an elegant 18th-century façade.
Set in a peaceful corner of East Sussex, it enjoys the best of both worlds: easy access to London, yet surrounded by rolling countryside. Just 75 minutes to London Bridge
This is not a house of beige conformity. While the restrained politeness of a pale grey wall is evident on occasion, its personality is generally more eclectic. See blog post about zoned living.
An artist and an collector have called this place home for over thirty years, leaving their mark on the property throughout their time here. During this period, it has undergone a complete renovation.
Period details ground the home in its past: hand-carved cornices, wide sash windows that spill light across generous rooms, and open fireplaces that still carry the scent of woodsmoke. The flow is organic, designed for both inspiration and connection.
A HOUSE FOR ALL SEASONS
Tanyards changes with the year in the best possible way. It has that rare ability to shift naturally with the seasons — in summer it opens outward into the garden and terraces, with dappled shade from the lime green Catalpa and the grape-vine clad pergola. Long evenings around the fire pit and outdoor life that feels effortless.
Autumn brings colour and a slower rhythm through the orchard with an abundance of produce and luminous yellows and gold from the Liquidambar trees, the Acers and the Ginko Biloba.
In winter the house turns inward: warm, comforting rooms, open fires, quiet corners, the reassuring warmth of the Aga and a deep sense of being properly at home. With the first frosts, the ornamental grasses sharpen into tall, sculptural forms.
And then spring returns with blossom, birdsong, and that first instinct to step outside again.
New blog piece - Roots And Rhythm.
The changing of the seasons.
Old houses are shaped by seasons. They have watched them arrive and recede for centuries. Tanyards gives us cool stone floors in summer, luminous green light filtered through the huge handkerchief leaves of the catalpa tree and an elevated platform overlooking the pool to enjoy the last of the sunshine with a G&T.
and finally….In Praise of Shadows….
What is it, this modern obsession with blasting every surface into visibility, as if atmosphere is a design flaw?
‘In Praise of Shadows’ by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki is an essay on Japanese aesthetics and describes beautifully how shadows in a space are every bit as important as light. Houses - old houses especially - have dark corners. They aren’t a problem to be solved - they are to be celebrated. READ MORE….
Thank you for visiting. Please do feel free to explore the rest of this website.
And if you are wondering why we are leaving such a perfect place - it is because it is now too big for us. Family have grown. Parents are no longer with us. It is - with some reluctance - time to accept it is time to downsize.
Tanyards needs a family. It needs children to jump in the pool; to watch the unsteady wobble of the baby ducklings each spring, to climb trees and hide in the woodlands.
