East Sussex Historic Houses
 | At Alfriston, 4 miles north-east of Seaford, off B2108 Timber-framed, thatched house, one of few surviving 14th century Wealden hall houses, was probably built for a wealthy farmer, known as the Clergy House because it was subsequently owned by the Church. Built around 1350 it was the first building to be acquired by the National Trust, purchased in 1896 for £10. more information |
 | 0.5 mile south of Burwash off A265 Bateman's is a Jacobean sandstone house built in 1634 for a local ironmaster. Rudyard Kipling fell in love with the property on first sight. From 1902 to his death in 1936 it was his home. Mrs Kipling left the house to the National Trust on her death in 1939. Kipling wrote some of his finest works here including 'If', 'The Glory of the Garden' and 'Puck of Pook's Hill', named after the hill visible from the house. Exhibition rooms contain manuscripts, letters and mementos of Kipling's life and work. more information |
 | 6 miles east of Lewis, on A27 Charleston, a modest 18th century farmhouse is a memorial to the Bloomsbury Group. In 1916 it became the home of the artist Vanessa Bell, her fellow artist Duncan Grant and the writer David Garnett. The rooms at Charleston are modest in size and the visitor can view most of the building and the collection of paintings and lithographs including works by Grant, Bell, Roger Fry, Picasso, Derain, Walter Sickert, Nina Hamnett and Keith Baynes. The creativity of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant extended into the cottage-style garden, which are maintained by the Charleston Trust. more information |
 | 5 miles south-east of Lewis, off the Lewis - Eastbourne, the A22 Firle Place, set in an ancient park, has been the home of the Gage family for over 500 years. The estate is now owned by the 7th Viscount Gage. The large house retains the approximate shape of Sir John Gage's original Tudor building. The walls are hung with full-length portraits including works by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and Dutch and Flemish paintings The parkland is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at the foot of the South Downs. more information |
 | 3 miles south-east of Lewes, off A27 Glynde Place is an Elizabethan mansion with fine views over the South Downs, owned by the same family for 800 years, the present owners being Viscount and Viscountess Hampden. The original medieval house was replaced in Elizabethan times.The house has a notable collection of 17th and 18th century portraits of the Trevor family, a collection of 18th century Italian masterpieces, and exhibitions on Habart Morley and the Great Rebellion of 1638 - 1660, and Sir Henry Bland. more information |
 | Just north of Northiam, 10 miles north of Hastings, off A28 Great Dixter is a 15th century timber-framed manor house set in beautiful gardens in England. In the 20th century the building was saved by Nathaniel Lloyd who bought the property in 1910 and commissioned Sir Edwin Lutyens to renovate and extend the medieval hall house, they found a derelict 'Wealden House' and re-built it at the back of Great Dixter. Great Dixter is still in the hands of the Lloyd family. The garden is divided into a number of 'outdoor rooms' with a topiary, subtropical garden, wild garden and sunken garden. more information |
 | In West Street, Rye, facing west end of church The Lamb family were the power in Rye for 150 years but the house is more famous as the home of Henry James. The brick-fronted house was completed in 1723 by James Lamb when he was chosen for mayor for the first time. In the 1860s the family sold Lamb House and thirty years later Henry James visited Rye and in 1899 bought the property, spending most of the last 18 years of his life at the house, entertaining eminent figures After his death it became the home of two other novelists, the brothers A.C. and E.F. Benson, Rye inspired the Mapp and Lucia novels. more information |
 | 10 miles north of Eastbourne, near Upper Dicker, signposted off A22 Michelham Priory is set on a medieval moated island and surrounded by gardens. The Priory of the Holy Trinity was founded in 1229 John Foote purchased the Priory in 1556 and in 1587 the Priory was acquired by Herbert Pelham, an ironfounder and landowner. In 1601 it was purchased by Thomas Sackville, and the family owned the freehold for the next 300 years.In 1960 the Priory was given to the Sussex Archaeological Society. There is an Elizabethan Great Barn, a Forge, working watermill, and a Rope Museum in the grounds. more information |
| In Rodmell village, near church, 4 miles south of Lewes, off A36 In 1919 Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard, leading lights of the literary Bloomsbury Group, bought this house in the main street of Rodmell as a retreat from London life. By this time Virginia Woolf had completed her first two novels. The Woolfs entertained literary and artistic figures of the day. The house is full of reminders of the talented circle in which she moved, painted furniture by Vanessa and Duncan Grant,china by Duncan Grant, and paintings by the family circle. Formal garden and a garden house. In 1941 Virginia Woolf drowned herself, her ashes are buried in the garden. more information |
 | 1 mile north of Brighton, off A23 London - Brighton road Preston Manor is medieval in origin but, the present house dates mostly from the 18th century. In 1794 the house was sold to William Stanford of Horsham. His grand-daughter Ellen Stanford had a lavish lifestyle financed by the sale of building-leases, this encouraged the growth of Brighton. In 1932 Preston Manor was left to Brighton Corporation The house shows life of the Edwardian gentry, both 'upstairs' and 'downstairs'. There is furniture, paintings and Chinese porcelain. There is a charming walled garden, a pets' cemetery and a 13th century church. more information |
 | In Brighton Town Centre The Royal Pavilion, the seaside residence of George IV, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the British Isles. George IV first rented Brighton House, when he was Prince of Wales, he commissioned Henry Holland to add to the house in the neo-classical style. In 1803 the enormous domed stable block was built by William Porden, in an Indian style. John Nash was engaged to transform and extend the Royal Pavilion in 1815. Queen Victoria first visited the Royal Pavilion in 1837 In 1850 the Brighton Town Commissioners purchased the Royal Pavilion and in the 20th century the Pavilion was restored to its former glory. more information |