Winnie-the-Pooh Country Estate on Market for $3.22 Million

Photo Courtesy of Savills

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.” – A.A. Milne

Many of us grew up on the enchanting and heartwarming Winnie-the-Pooh stories of A.A. Milne. The huge heart of Winnie the Pooh, the ever-gloomy disposition of Eeyore, the bounciness of Tigger, the brave and timid Piglet, and the little lord and master of 100 Acre Wood, Christopher Robin, showed us what friendship really means and that sometimes all you have to do to show your love is remember someone’s birthday. If you ever fantasized about living in the world of Christopher Robin, you actually have your chance now because for the first time in over 40 years, luxury real estate and Winnie the Pooh has collided.

Cotchford Farm, the childhood home of the real Christopher Robin (A.A. Milne’s son for whom the stories were written) is listed on the market for £2,000,000 (around $3.22 million). Located on the edge of Hartfield, East Sussex, the magical Garden II country estate is amidst beautiful gardens forestry. The house is on a private road and the property isn’t overlooked by any other homes. A wooded area, which is included in the sale, hides the home from the B-road on the other side of it. The area is known by the locals as “Pooh Country” because many of the locations in the stories can be found nearby, such as the Hundred Acre Wood, Poohsticks Bridge, Pooh Corner, and Galleons Lap, making it pretty ideal for any literary lover.
The country home would be great as a vacation destination, as it dates back to the mid 16th Century and features “exposed timbres and beams, some oak frame mullioned windows, painted wooden drop latch doors, flagstone and polished brick flooring.” The drawing room is a split-level and has an inglenook fireplace and a wood burning stove. The south elevation overlooks the lovely gardens outside, which include many stone statues of Christopher Robin, Owl, and a sun dial “where Pooh and all his friends are incorporated beneath.”
The home features a total of six bedrooms and three shower/bathrooms, but since the real appeal is the 9.5 acres of land, let’s get back to that. At the north-west end of the house, there’s a kitchen garden full of seasonal vegetables, fruit bushes, and an apple orchard. From the top of the formal garden area, you can look out over four levels of lawn, each with stone steps. There’s a heated swimming pool, as well as an ornamental fish pond beside the home. If you want to check out the Poohsticks bridge, it’s about half a mile up the stream that runs along the southern wooded boundary.

As if the literary details isn’t enough, this English country house also has musical ties as the talented founder of The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones, lived here right up until his death in 1969.