December 2025

One of the best things about the winter months in Alfriston is how festive and heart-warming the little shops can look. It is a real treat to just wander about Alfriston and drop into whichever one takes your fancy…whether you’re looking for vintage clothes, original art, homewares, books, antiques or antique furniture, there is much to choose from.

There are a couple of new arrivals too, one being The Polizzi Collection, which sells a range of fashion, accessories and homewares, some of which feature in The Star hotel itself. Across Waterloo Square there is Nørd, which has a branch in Lewes and sells a range of clothing, homewares and ceramics with a nordic touch…it is so newly arrived that we’ve yet to get a photo of it, so do watch this space.

It was in November that we passed our four year anniversary of ownership of Flint Cottage…the cottage was in a very poor condition when we first set eyes upon it, but we could see its potential right away. It was a period cottage, centrally located within the village and walking distance to all the shops, restaurants and pubs. It also had its own parking space and decent sized garden, both of which would be important features if we were to renovate with an eye to marketing it as a holiday cottage. The renovation took nearly three years, and of course, we went way over budget, but the end result was something that we were very happy with indeed. Have a look at the images below to see just a few of the changes with each scene above and below, like a before-and-after dyptych. All design, joinery and building work by David Swift at Period Property Consultancy.

In the here and now, we have started adding some Christmas decorations to the cottage for our winter guests. Below are some images to give you a taster of some of the items. We are still putting on some finishing touches, but please take a look and see what you think.

Also - don’t forget that we still have a promotion on with badgers tea room. So all new direct bookings taken up until the end of December for any date will receive one of their fantastic hampers. Click here to see details.

Finally - a very Happy Christmas to you all - we’ll see you in 2026. X

Merry Christmas Everybody ! X

Windover Hill, near the Long Man of Wilmington