The Priest's House

The only one of its kind open to the public, this beautiful 15th century Wealden hall house stands in a traditional cottage garden on the edge of the Ashdown Forest in picturesque West Hoathly.

The house was owned in turn by Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleves, Mary I and Elizabeth I. It is now furnished with 17th & 18th century country furniture and domestic objects while the garden is planted with over 170 culinary, medicinal & household herbs. The resident curator gives fascinating tours of the house and garden if requested and you are welcome to bring a picnic to eat in the cottage garden. Download a property leaflet.

Schools

Children can find out how a house was built and furnished and what it was like to live in a time before the invention of electric lights, central heating and flushing toilets!

The Priest House is an early 15th century timber-framed building with a collection of domestic items in an authentic period setting which provides opportunities for cross-curricular, literacy or science based work.

The colourful cottage garden, which is full of medieval herbs and plants, and the historic village of West Hoathly also offer opportunities to understand how an old building relates to its environment.

We offer guided tours, with opportunities for group work and artefact handling. A loans box is available to groups visiting the house for follow-up work in the classroom.