Cotchford Farm facts for kids

Cotchford Farm is a special old house in the countryside of East Sussex, England. It's near a beautiful area called the Ashdown Forest. This farm has been home to some famous people, including the author A. A. Milne, who wrote the beloved Winnie the Pooh books, and Brian Jones, a musician from the band The Rolling Stones. It's considered a historic building, meaning it's protected because of its importance.

Cotchford Farm: A Special House

Cotchford Farm is a farmhouse building found southwest of the village of Hartfield in East Sussex. It sits in a lovely natural area called the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house is on Cotchford Lane, a private road that connects to the B2026 between Hartfield and Duddleswell. It's also very close to the famous Ashdown Forest.

A Look Inside the Farmhouse

This old house is made with a special building style called "timber-framed," which means it has a strong wooden frame. It was likely built a very long time ago, possibly in the 16th or 17th century. Imagine, that's over 300 or 400 years ago!

The house was probably first built with walls made from "wattle and daub" (a mix of woven sticks and mud) and a roof made of thatch (dried straw or reeds). Later, the ground floor was covered with red bricks, and the roof was changed to tiles.

The main part of the house has three floors. There's also a two-story section attached to the south side. The kitchen is in a smaller, one-story part at the north end. Inside, the house has a unique living room with different floor levels and a large, old-fashioned fireplace called an "inglenook." From this room, you can see the garden in many directions. There's also a dining room with walls covered in oak wood. Upstairs, there are six bedrooms, four on the first floor and two on the second.

Home of Winnie-the-Pooh

In 1925, the famous author A. A. Milne bought Cotchford Farm as his country home. He wrote all of his wonderful Winnie the Pooh books while living here! The beautiful local countryside often gave him ideas for his stories. A. A. Milne lived at Cotchford Farm until he passed away in 1956.

In the garden, you can find statues of Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne, and the character Owl. There's also a special sundial. A sundial tells the time using the sun's shadow. The part that casts the shadow, called a "gnomon," is shaped like a quill (an old-fashioned writing pen). The base of the sundial has carvings of Pooh characters like Piglet, Tigger, and Roo. It also has A. A. Milne's initials ("AAM") and a sweet message: "This warm and sunny spot belongs to Pooh, And here he wonders what it's time to do."

A small stream flows through the trees along the southern edge of the garden. About 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream (further along the stream) to the west, you can find Poohsticks Bridge. This is the famous bridge where Pooh and his friends played the game of Poohsticks!

A Rock Star's Retreat

After being owned by an American couple, the Taylors, who added an outdoor swimming pool, Cotchford Farm was bought by Brian Jones. He was a musician and a member of the very famous band, The Rolling Stones. The house still has some of the cool things he added, like special colored lights and windows.

In 1970, Alistair Johns bought the house. In 1982, Cotchford Farm officially became a Grade II listed building. This means it's recognized as a very important historic building that needs to be protected.

In 2012, the house was put up for sale by Johns's wife, Harriet Johns, for £2 million. It included the house and about 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) of land, with the heated outdoor swimming pool and a fishpond. It didn't sell right away, so it was put up for sale again in 2016 and finally sold for £1.8 million in June 2017.