The ultimate house for the car nut? A 17th century West Sussex home with indoor pool and a simply enormous garage
If the Festival of Speed at the weekend has inspired you to start collecting classic sports cars, you'll need somewhere to keep them — and this country house in West Sussex could be the answer.

As First World Problems go, looking for a space to park your six Jaguars is right up there with grumbling that your butler doesn't wax his moustache.
Yet what is this life if we only worry about that which is strictly necessary? And it is in this spirit this morning that we bring you the story of car nut Roger Learmouth.
Roger's passion for collecting beautiful old cars (and vans, and various other vehicles) prompted him to convert a barn at his home in Cuckfield, just off the A23 near Haywards Heath.
Roger's house, Old Deaks Farmhouse — for sale at £3.95m — is a Grade II-listed timber house which originally dates to the 17the century, though pretty much the entire structure has been tweaked, enlarged or renewed at some point over the last 400 years.
The character of the place remains very much original, however, with the building's timber frame ever present within the interior. Even the indoor pool is in a part of the house with a traditional beamed roof.
The main house has five bedrooms, three on the first floor and two more on the second floor, all accessed be beautifully-curving staircases.
Downstairs the house is arranged around the entrance hall and kitchen that sit in the centre of the floorplan, with sitting room, drawing room, dining room, breakfast room and utility room opening off from one or other of the two.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
As well as the main farmhouse there are two other properties within the 67 acres up for sale: Old Deaks Lodge, a two-bedroom cottage on the same courtyard, and Little Cottage, a one-bedroom cottage with its own little garden. Then there are the extensive gardens, woodland and some farmland, all of which is within easy access of London (the A23 is close by and Haywards Heath, with its excellent train service, is a couple of miles away.)
There's also The Hall, a timber-framed party barn that offers a huge entertaining space.
The Hall also has two mezzanine rooms above — one used as a study, the other as a snooker room. It also has a separate kitchen and shower room.
And last but not least, immediately adjacent to the hall is the aforementioned garage, converted from what was once a granary, with generous space for seven cars plus room to work on whichever one/ones is/are currently in bits. Because that's just how it works when you keep classic cars.
Old Deaks is for sale via RH & RW Clutton at £3.95 million – see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Jaguar XJ R-Sport review: 'The non-pareil for comfort and elegance'
On an annual pilgrimage to Scotland in pursuit of silver salmon, Richard Parker enjoys the many charms of the Jaguar
Credit: Richard Pardon
Jaguar's ice driving academy: Thrills, spills and (almost) taking out photographers under the Northern Lights
Learning how to drive on snow and ice could save your life. It's also bloody good fun, as Adam Hay-Nicholls
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
LAPICIDA — Tile & Stone Specialist
Lapicida is a world-class specialist in luxury surfaces.
By Country Life Published
-
What lies beneath: The weird and wonderful things lurking in Britain's museum basements
From radioactive rocks to great white sharks, and a dolphin called Boris, the things stored in Britain's museum basements make the mind boggle — and now plans are afoot to improve visitor access.
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee Published
-
A converted bothy on the shores of Loch Tay from which to enjoy the fresh tastes of Spring
Waterfall Cottage offers four bedrooms and a garden that stretches right down to the lapping waters.
By James Fisher Published
-
An idyllic home in Hampshire that's perfect for the musical mind
Lyewood House sits in 3.5 acres and comes with a purpose built recording studio and an outdoor heated pool.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park
Old House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool
5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
By James Fisher Published
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Dorset
With 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventure
The interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of Pembrokeshire
A lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
By James Fisher Published