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Actress Annie Lambert has put her 20 acre equestrian property on the market with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Midhurst. The four bedroom 17^th Century Sussex house has been her home for the past 16 years, since retiring from acting and London life. The actress is best known for her roles on British television, in series including Dr Who, Morse and Poirot.

Anstead Farm, which is not listed, sits at the end of a gravelled drive off a country lane and has an attractive, period Sussex barn forming a small courtyard.  The accommodation comprises three excellent reception rooms including a large kitchen breakfast room as well as utility space.  Upstairs there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Anstead Farm has extensive equestrian facilities such as eight stables, hay barns and a dressage arena. The property also has delightful gardens, a swimming pool and a duck pond in the grounds.

Nick Ferrier of Jackson-Stops & Staff, Midhurst, says “Anstead Farm sits in most attractive West Sussex countryside moments away from Wisborough Green but also with great access to London.  It will appeal to a family of equestrian enthusiasts or someone looking for a hobby farm.  Finding a farmhouse of this quality, with a pool, superb equestrian facilities and 20 acres is not easy under £2 million.  Plus one has the opportunity to let the land or offer livery in the stables. Moreover there is enormous potential here; the Sussex barn in the grounds could be transformed into an annexe or office space. The block of eight stables has its own access and also has redevelopment possibilities, subject to planning permission.”

Anstead Farm is on the market for £1,750,000 with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Midhurst.

A cottage where Thomas Hardy’s mother was born and spent her childhood  is being marketed through Jackson-Stops & Staff. 1 Barton Hill Cottages is in Melbury Osmond, the picturesque Dorset village that inspired  one of Hardy’s best loved novels, The Woodlanders.

Hardy was born in Dorset in 1840. On returning to Dorset as an adult, he began to write as a means of making money, thus began his ‘Wessex’ novels based around Dorset and the surrounding areas. Wessex, originally thought of as a fictional county, was later revealed to be based on Dorset.

The cottage itself epitomises the romantic style of Hardy and the beautifully conserved village reflects the rural idyll. The thatched three bedroom cottage dates back to 1640 and has been carefully preserved, featuring an original ham stone, but with modern touches, such as a newly fitted bathroom. The cottage has a large garden with good views and its south facing position gives much natural light to both house and garden. The setting of the cottage is peaceful,in a quiet cul-de-sac, close to many footpaths including  Illchester’s deer park.

Charlie Bladon, director of Jackson-Stops and Staff in Sherborne, said: “The property is not only rich in literary history but is set in one of the most well-preserved and beautiful villages in the area.”

Melbury Osmond is unusually private, in a no-through road, with predominantly period houses that have been described by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner in the Dorset edition of Buildings of England as ‘worthy of a picture book’. The village lies in  an Area of Outstanding Beauty, but is still close to good transport links and shops such as those found in Yeovil six miles away, including a train service to London.

1 Barton Hill Cottages is on the market for £395,000 with the Sherborne offices of Jackson-Stops & Staff.