Country life

Nicki and Giles Moffatt didn't even need to go inside to realise this 18th-century house with idyllic gardens was for them

- WORDS STEPHANIE SMITH | PHOTOGRAPHY COLIN POOLE

Leaving London for the country had long been a plan for Nicki and Giles Moffatt, but the pandemic pushed it into overdrive. 'I know this area of East Sussex well because my father Nigel has always had a place here, so I've been coming down regularly since I was 15,' says Nicki. Having had an offer on a house in the county accepted, the couple was ready to go, but their plans hit the buffers when the owners decided to stay put when the first lockdown hit. 'Because we'd already made the big decision to move, our focus was finding another house quickly.' Coming down the drive of their current house was a light bulb moment. 'We both knew we'd found the one,' says Nicki. 'It was the grounds as much as anything, although we adore the house now we've renovated it. The previous owner had done so much work outside and the