Nigel and Tricia Rawle retired, sold up and set off for a new life in the country only to realise that home is where the heart is.
Missing their friends and family, the couple sold the barn conversion they’d moved to in a sleepy hamlet in Herefordshire and returned to Sussex.
The couple purchased a five-bedroom new-build home at The Gateway in Bexhill-On-Sea – a sought-after new-build development by Vistry Group which is being built under its Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes brands.
“We had lived most of our lives in Sussex but after we retired we suddenly decided that we would like to pursue the rural dream and live in a converted barn and moved to deepest Herefordshire,” said Tricia.
“It was a lovely three-bedroom property with a beautiful garden that covered half an acre. However, the problem was that it really was in the middle of nowhere, in the smallest hamlet in the county, and it was just so quiet, too quiet.
“It also dawned on us that because we were hundreds of miles away from friends and family, when they did visit us, they had a limited time and seemed to be thinking of setting off back not long after they had arrived. We did try to stick it out but quickly realised that we had made a mistake and wanted to be back in the Sussex area to be close to our loved ones.”
Nigel, a 69-year-old former kitchen and bathroom designer, and Tricia, a 68-year-old who used to work in the home furnishings retail sector, started to search for a new home in the Battle area.
They were impressed by the five-bedroom Falcon Bovis Homes house type at The Gateway and liked the idea of moving back to the seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea where they’d lived many years previously. However, the plot they wanted was originally reserved by another buyer, and they started the process of buying elsewhere – only for their dream property to come back on the market in July 2023.
Tricia said: “Marcus, the sales manager from The Gateway, told us that the sale of the five-bedroom Falcon had fallen through and asked if we were still interested in the property. We couldn’t move fast enough and reserved the next day.
“We cannot praise Marcus and the Bovis Homes team at The Gateway enough for all their help and professionalism in making the house-buying journey as smooth as possible and getting us into our lovely new home so quickly.
“On August 24, less than six weeks later, we moved into the house in Bexhill-on-Sea. It was as if it was meant to be. It really did feel like fate had played a hand and guided us back here. Funnily enough, I had seen photographs of the finished house but the first time I actually saw it with my own eyes was the day we moved in.
“We love the extra space because we have an en suite and balcony in our bedroom and the main guest room has the same arrangement, which is lovely. Two of the spare bedrooms have been set aside for each of our two grandchildren who love it because they have their own rooms when they come to stay.”
The couple and their 14-year-old rescue cat Chocolate are loving life back in Sussex.
“We have made slight amendments to the house to accommodate Chocolate,” said Tricia. “The only doors to the back garden are the French doors so we have had a cat tunnel bored through a wall so she can get in and out. We also have a garden wall so we have had a hole cut in that so she can get in and out easily.
“We brought over seven trees and 35 shrubs which we had introduced to the garden at the barn conversion and planted them here. The effect of this is that our garden here already looks well-established.
“Being back here does feel so right and I love being able to step out of my front door and after a 20-minute walk be on the beach at Bexhill. I try to do that walk most days and savour being in a position to be able to do that.
“We are much closer to our son, who lives near Haywards Heath in West Sussex, and our daughter Jade in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and all our friends in this area. After our little adventure in the country, we have realised that home is where the heart is and this really is home for us.”
Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes are a part of the Vistry Group.
There’s currently a selection of three, four and five-bedroom Bovis Homes properties available to reserve at The Gateway, with prices starting at £349,995, and there are also homes for sale under the Linden Homes brand. The Countryside brand is due to launch at The Gateway later this year.
Find your perfect home at The Gateway here.
