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Magical East Sussex country house

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were among the first guests to stay in this house when it was converted from a sheep bar in the 1930s

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sheephouse for sale east sussex

In a magical setting, surrounded by its own land at the end of a long private drive, The Sheephouse is on the market for the first time in nearly 400 years.

* Country houses in East Sussex for sale

‘It has been in the family since 1671,’ says fund manager and author Jonathan Frewen, who inherited it from his great aunt in 1988; his family owned the Brede estate from the 17th century. He moved there full-time in 1990 with his wife, Anita, and daughter, Antonia, after it had been sympathetically renovated and extended.

‘My great uncle converted it from a sheep barn in the 1930s; his cousin Winston Churchill received the freedom of the house on its completion in 1936. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were among the first guests; he proposed to her in the drawing room. It has unbelievable views. The New York Times said the view from the drawing room was the best in the South-East of England.’

The Sheephouse, near Brede, East Sussex has 5 bedrooms, 4 reception rooms, Sussex-style barn with garage and studio. 5 acres formal gardens, 105 acres let on an agricultural tenancy.

£1.5m. Strutt & Parker (01732 459900)

* Country houses in East Sussex for sale

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