Luxury Family Home in Ashdown Forest – The Ashdown Escape
In 2006, after years of living abroad, we returned to the UK in search of something more permanent — a place to raise our four young children in the way we had once grown up ourselves: close to nature, grounded in simplicity, and full of freedom to explore. That vision became our Luxury Family Home in Ashdown Forest – The Ashdown Escape.
I had spent my childhood in Zambia, under wide open skies, with a lifestyle shaped by adventure and meaning. My husband was raised on a farm in Hampshire, where the outdoors was woven into everyday life. We longed to give our children that same connection to the natural world.
And then we found it.
An 1850s Sussex farmhouse with exposed stone walls, a walled garden, and two large ponds... wild, overgrown, and full of possibility. We saw past the brambles and imagined what it could become. We didn’t know exactly how — but we knew we had found home.
A Labour of Love
The original house was full of charm, but not made for a growing family. With four kids underfoot, the ponds had to go. We reshaped the land, built a flat playground, and added a tennis court so our boys could play football and cricket freely.
We spent years trying to get planning permission to expand the house in a traditional style — but every proposal was rejected.
Then inspiration struck: *what if we built down, not up?*
Building Below Ground
Using the natural slope of the land, we designed a fully subterranean extension — invisible from the outside, capped with a living green roof and skylights that let in natural light.
A Global Life, Planted in Sussex
By the time we finished in 2011, the house had transformed — but it wouldn’t be until 2015 that we finally returned to live in it. We brought back our Australian outdoor lifestyle, building a sandstone kitchen with wood fired pizza oven and teppanyaki plate, into the walled garden and planting cherry trees inspired by our years in Japan.
Every element in the house was designed not for show, but for how we love to live — with ease, warmth, and connection.
Creating a luxury family home in Ashdown Forest was never about square footage. It was about designing a space that reflected who we are, how we live, and what we value most. Each detail of The Ashdown Escape tells a story — of our life abroad, of family rhythms, and of a vision rooted deeply in nature.
Today, our home is a living reflection of everywhere we’ve lived — a space shaped by memory, travel, and intention:
- Furniture collected from Tokyo, Paris, New York, Sydney and beyond
- Original paintings by me — what began as a practical way to fill blank walls has become part of our story
- Bamboo flooring, chosen for its warmth, sustainability, and quiet resilience
- Travertine bathrooms, designed for calm, simplicity, and a touch of everyday luxury
- A sunken bar, created with entertaining in mind — we love mixing drinks, and this layout keeps us at eye level with seated friends, setting the tone for relaxed connection
- A master bathroom designed for pause, complete with a recessed bookshelf and a ledge just right for a tall glass of champagne beside the bath
- A generous, open-plan kitchen, oriented around the flow of the house and its views — anchored by an AGA for cosy winter cooking, and spacious enough for family feasts and weekend guests
- In the newer parts of the house, underfloor heating offers silent comfort throughout, while a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system (MVHR) quietly circulates fresh air — drawing in clean air, capturing warmth from outgoing air, and keeping the environment balanced and energy-efficient year-round
A Clock, a Garden, a View
One of the house’s most special features is a 2.5m cast iron clock face, now used as a garden table. It once adorned a building in London before being rescued by a previous owner. We preserved it with a glass top, and today it hosts long family meals under the skies.
Step through the gates, and you’re straight into Ashdown Forest — the real-life Hundred Acre Wood. Our children once played in Roo’s Pit, climbed at Galleon’s Lap, and threw sticks from Poohsticks Bridge.
At sunset, you’ll find us at the back field — gin and tonic in hand — watching the sun fall over the forest.
Why We Welcome Guests
The Ashdown Escape isn’t just a luxury rental. It’s our family’s story — our patch of the world — and we’ve built it with thought, love, and a lot of planning applications.
Designing our luxury family home in Ashdown Forest – The Ashdown Escape was never about grandeur; it was about warmth, intention, and memory. Every corner was created to nurture connection — to the land, to one another, and to ourselves.
Now, we open the doors to others who want to rest, reconnect, and feel something real. Whether it’s a weekend gathering or a quiet week away, our guests often tell us they feel at home the moment they arrive.
Welcome to our home. We hope it feels like yours, too.
