Cotchford Farm, the setting for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, is up for sale for the first time in 40 years. Michael Harris / Savills
Cotchford Farm, the setting for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, is up for sale for the first time in 40 years. Michael Harris / Savills

Winnie-the-Pooh house up for £2m



The bear of very little brain and his pals may have frolicked in the woods, but the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by his six-bedroom house in the English county of East Sussex.

AA Milne, the writer, and his family lived at Cotchford Farm, near Ashdown Forest. Pooh country and its now classic locations, such as the Hundred Acre Wood, were based on the actual 500 Acre Wood within Ashdown Forest.

The garden still has a statue of Christopher Robin, a namesake Milne based on his son. It also has a sundial dedicated to Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit and Owl. The statue and sundial were commissioned by Milne's wife, Dorothy.

On the market for the first time in 40 years, the 16th-century house stands on 3.6 hectares of secluded grounds. Coniferous and deciduous woodlands in the east and a stream that marks the property's southern boundary complete the details of a landscape to which Pooh fans could relate.

Inside Pooh Corner is an abundance of exposed timber. The kitchen comes fitted with beechwood work surfaces, a Britannia cooking range with five gas burners and barbecue, and a dishwasher.

Milne bought the place in 1925.

But it has had one more celebrated owner. Brian Jones, the founder of the Rolling Stones, bought the house in 1968. He, however, died a year later at the property.

Savill, a property agency in London, is stating a guide price of £2 million (Dh11.6m). The agency cites Milne's son Christopher's description of the house in his autobiography: "Cotchford was ours and on an autumn morning in 1925 we … drove down to take possession. No, I have got it wrong. It was Cotchford that took possession of us."

SPECS

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Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

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Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

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Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?

The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How it works

1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground

2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water

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4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare