But it wasn’t always like this when people came to the lovely rural region in Sussex that is now home to trading borders. Our impressive-looking building is now known as the ultimate shopping destination, café, gallery, vintage bar, and boutique in Sussex, but this wasn’t always the case. In point of fact, many people who visit our stunning Georgian manor home and gardens may recall it from its latter years as a bar in the 1990s. However, there is so much more to the remarkable narrative of this building than just that. The first Lord Sheffield, John Baker Holroyd, commissioned the structure to be built in the latter half of the 18th century. It served as the focal point of his estate and was used to accommodate his visitors, as well as his staff and horses. The fact that the plot of land at sheffield green was held by lord sheffield and that its position was equidistant between the two towns of east grinstead and lewes along the road to the expanding city of brighton was a major factor in the choice to construct a building there. Despite the fact that this route had been rerouted through cuckfield by the time construction began in 1777, the majority of the traffic continued to use the former route. Because of this, this location was ideal, and the resulting structure was certainly one that would attract the attention of travelers from a wide range of locations. It was described as having three stories, nine windows, red brick that was “largely covered with ivy,” and a “center portion [that] projects slightly and has a pediment-like gable containing an attic window” in the text that accompanied its listing as a grade ii* building of historic interest in the 1950s. The structure, in addition to the adjoining vigoes farm, was made available for tenancy right up to the year 1910, when the estate decided to sell it to tamplins brewery instead. The building had a number of different occupants over the 20th century, many of whom were only there for a brief period of time, until it was finally transformed into a nightclub in the late 1980s. This period was one of renewed success for the former coaching inn as it played host to well-attended jazz-funk nights; however, by the ’90s, having reverted to a pub, it was in a state of disrepair that was only remedied following the purchase of the property in 1998 by michael clifford and tracy thomson. Work promptly got underway to transform it into the stunning countryside attraction that it remains today – a must-visit shop, gallery, cafe, vintage bar, and boutique in sussex selling the finest in imported indian furniture and textiles, along with amazing modern furniture collections, home accessories, and gifts. Why don’t you pay a visit to the reincarnation of the Sheffield Arms so you may experience its allure for yourself?
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