Shermanbury, West Sussex, UK
07887 624072
Shermanbury, West Sussex, UK
A Sussex barn on a grand scale. Woodbarn Farm sits within the Ewhurst Manor estate near Shermanbury, where a tree lined drive and electric gates open onto a gravelled courtyard and lawns bounded by old hedgerows. At its heart is an entertaining space beneath a forty seven foot vaulted ceiling, framed in original oak and floored in flagstone, warm underfoot. Sleeping up to fourteen guests between the barn and its self contained annexe, Woodbarn Farm brings everyone under one roof for celebrations, reunions and slow weekends in the West Sussex countryside.
The approach sets the tone. A private drive winds beneath the trees to five bar electric gates, and the barn reveals itself around a gravelled courtyard, dark weatherboard and warm brick beneath sweeping clay tiles. This is the Ewhurst Manor estate, a quiet pocket of the West Sussex Weald where the lanes are narrow and the views run long. Woodbarn Farm was made for gathering: a house of unusual scale for birthdays, anniversaries and long overdue reunions, with the South Downs an easy reach to the south.
The heart of the barn is its entertaining space, forty seven feet of vaulted ceiling with the original oak frame overhead and flagstone underfoot, warmed from below. Bespoke joinery and exposed timbers carry the barn's history through every room. A separate dining room, currently arranged as a snug, sits alongside a practical utility. The bedrooms divide easily between generations: three on the ground floor with a modern family bathroom, two suites on the first floor including the principal bedroom with its walk in wardrobe, and the annexe with its own kitchen, dining space and bathroom.
Beyond the courtyard, lawns bounded by hedging and post and rail fencing invite garden games and lazy afternoons. A south facing stone terrace looks over open countryside, the natural spot for a glass of something cold as the light goes. Parking is generous, the gates are electric, and beyond them the lanes lead through Cowfold and Monks Gate to the market town of Horsham, nine miles north.
Up to 14 guests
Weekly and short break rates TBC
Up to two well behaved dogs are welcome by arrangement
Each dog is charged at £40 per stay
Arrival time: 2pm
Departure time: 11am
Property terms and conditions
Shermanbury sits in the quiet farmland between Horsham and the Downs, a scatter of lanes, hedgerows and old farms in the West Sussex Weald. The market town of Horsham lies nine miles north, with direct trains to London and the coast, Gatwick is around twenty minutes by car, and Brighton and the sea are an easy drive south. All around, the countryside offers woodland walks, bridleways and village pubs.
“The oak frame is a delight every single day, and the barn was simply made for bringing people together. Handing guests the keys to do exactly that is a pleasure.”
We fell for Woodbarn Farm the way most people do, standing in the vaulted living space watching the light move across the oak frame. The barn has been loved as a family home, and it comes into its own when it is full: long tables, log fires and everyone finding their own corner of it.
We hope our guests use it the way it was meant to be used. Cook together, walk out into the Weald, take the terrace at sunset, and leave feeling like you have had more than a holiday. We are always on hand if you need us, and never in the way if you do not.
John and Natalie Collins
Live like a local during your stay, with the owners' own picks of the walks, tables and days out that make this corner of West Sussex special.
To do
One of England's finest Elizabethan houses, with celebrated gardens and a deer park that has barely changed in centuries. The house and its Long Gallery reward a slow afternoon.
To eat
A proper Sussex pub with a serious kitchen, local ales and a warm welcome. The kind of place where a group lunch stretches happily into the afternoon.
To do
The home of British polo. Pick a match day, pack a picnic and make a proper occasion of it.
To see
Six hundred square miles of rolling chalk downland between Winchester and Beachy Head, laced with trails, viewpoints and big Sussex skies.
“We took Woodbarn Farm for my father’s seventieth, fourteen of us across three generations, and the barn absorbed us all with room to spare. Long breakfasts in the vaulted kitchen, pool after dinner, and the terrace as the sun went down. We are already planning the next one.”