Testimonial
Moving from London back to our East Sussex roots
A former England Rugby supremo, and more recently, Mayor of Wandsworth has returned to his roots in East Sussex, with his wife Sue of 48 years. The couple have chosen a newbuild at Berry Croft in Newick to enjoy retirement.
Richard Field had a packed, varied and hugely successful career. He started out in property, having worked at Knight Frank and as a Partner and Marketing Director at Savills. He then spent a decade working in the Rugby Football Union, including Marketing Director at the England RFU at HQ Twickenham. Move on several years, and several more impressive job titles, and Richard was later elected as Wandsworth Ward Cllr and Mayor of Wandsworth twice, before finally retiring in 2022.
Richard, now aged 77, and his wife Sue, aged 76, have opted for a brand new energy-efficient home at Berry Croft in East Sussex. It’s an exclusive community of 39 homes on the edge of the picturesque village of Newick.
Richard Field said; “We knew we wanted to move back to Sussex as we knew it so well. Sue was born and bred in East Sussex, and we both lived here twenty-five years ago to raise our children who attended local schools.”
The couple sold their Edwardian four-bedroom house in the sought-after area of Balham, SW London. They were impressed by Berry Croft and became one of the very first residents. The pair reserved their house in November 2023 and moved in Spring 2024.
Sue commented; “We initially looked at other period properties, but we felt a newbuild home would be right for us. We didn’t want the hassle of all the general maintenance of an older house, such as old boilers, changing electrics and sash windows etcetera. A new build gave us a clean slate.
“One of our sons lives locally and he spotted the development when it was in its very early stages of construction, so we added it to our list. When we visited, we liked the Sussex style and varied character of the homes. In fact, the individuality and the spaciousness of the houses was a big plus. Most importantly, the location was key – it’s walkable to the village which has a baker, general store, chemist, great choice of pubs and a recreational ground for the grandchildren. We’re lucky to look out of our windows to views toward Fletching village and Ashdown Forest beyond.
“We’ve taken immense advantage of our back garden, which features an attractive brick wall to grow honeysuckle, clematis, sweet peas, delphiniums and climbing roses. Our son has his own gardening business, The Gardening Gent nearby in Haywards Heath, and he helped us design and build the flower beds so we could fill them with perennials and we love it.”
Talking about the move, Richard exclaimed; “Thakeham have been excellent in helping with our move. I have to say that in all my years in property, I am very impressed with the sales staff, the customer care team and the site manager here. Any problems or little niggles have been dealt with immediately and the service has been superb.”
“Being Mayor of one of the largest boroughs in London was thoroughly rewarding in supporting charities and the good people who do so much for others in a community. The role was all-encompassing, working seven days a week, fifty-two weeks of the year, including Christmas Day where we had three events before lunchtime one year! All with the great support from my wife, the Mayoress. Now we are both making the most of some downtime, reconnecting with old friends and enjoy helping to look after our grandchildren.
“We’ve discovered the village has a very active and thriving community with various fetes, food fairs and Guy Fawkes bonfire event in Newick. A bus stop has been placed right outside the main entrance to our development which connects us easily to Uckfield and Haywards Heath for trains to London.
“We have definitely noticed how energy-efficient and well insulated the house is. It keeps us lovely and warm in winter, yet cool in the recent heat wave, which is a world away from our old home!”
Sue added; “Downsizing has been a real commitment. We spent a long time measuring up our furniture and planning ahead by drawing plans for each room and checking which furniture would fit in the space. We’ve had to offload some furniture to family, charity or car boot sales, but all the effort was worth it. We’ve really enjoyed making this home our own.”
Richard and Sue Field live in a pretty double fronted, white-clad three-bedroom Ripley home with a separate garage. Remaining homes at Berry Croft start from £205k for a one-bedroom apartment, or £725k for a similar three-bed Ripley detached home, with incentives available. All properties feature electric car charging points, energy efficient lighting and superior insulation as standard, with options for solar PV panels on various house types.
