Venture Out: the best places to live in West Sussex
The western side of the historic county of Sussex (divided in 1974) can be roughly segmented into three parts: its commuter-friendly northern edge within the High Weald Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB); its South Downs National park heart, which stretches laterally across the county, and its long coastline, spanning from Shoreham near Brighton in the east to Chichester Harbour, another AONB, in the west.
If access to London is important, narrow your search to the triangle-shaped area formed by East Grinstead in the north, Haywards Heath to the south and Horsham to the west, all of which have train stations with regular services to London that take less than an hour. And, away from the best-avoided M25 overspill towns that cluster around Gatwick Airport, this patch of the county covers the High Weald AONB, a sprawling expanse of ancient woodland and farmland punctuated with medieval villages. Past sales highlights in this area have included a substantial 1958 house by Micheal Twigg and a Mies-inspired modernist home by Foggo & Thomas. Villages like Crawley Down and Ardingly have access to numerous organic farms and villages that provide excellent local produce.
Moving towards the coast, the South Downs National Park lies at the core of the county, with its swooping valleys and undulating hills, the highest of which is the pine and heather-strewn Blackdown, beloved by Tennyson and one of south-east England’s most spectacular vista points (reached via a hike). And, remember what we said about West Sussex being sunny? Well, this part of the county is home to some of the UK’s best sparkling wine vineyards, like Tinwood.
To the east of the Downs, near Brighton, the countryside is some of the most beautiful, yet includes stations like Hassocks, where journey times to London Bridge and Victoria are under an hour. This RIBA Award-winning tri-part 19th-century windmill, converted granary and 20th century-mill house would make for either the relocation of dreams, or an equally-dreamy country pad within striking distance of London.
Other towns to centre your search around include Pulborough and Amberley, both with travel times to London of around 75 minutes, and the latter of which being renowned for its historic houses and Norman church and castle. This house near Lancing (with trains that take an hour and 20 minutes to London) is well located for access to the seaside town of Littlehampton, with its yacht club and East Beach Café, designed by Thomas Heatherwick.
The truth is that West Sussex’s coastal towns fall somewhat short of matching their eastern counterparts, with Bognor Regis not offering quite as much to get excited about as Brighton. That’s not to say there aren’t relocation-worthy homes to be found in this part of the world, as Marcel Breuer’s Sea Lane House attests. If proximity to the coast is your priority, Chichester is where we’d concentrate our search. The small cathedral city has a cultural offering that includes the much-loved Pallant House Gallery and Festival Theatre, a modernist beaut designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya in the early 1960s. Trains run to Victoria in 90 minutes, and access to nature spots like the Kingley Vale Nature Reserve is on the doorstep. If you can find something like Walter Greaves’ modernist family home, you’d be doing very well indeed.
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