Culture and Countryside: The Art of Sussex Living

From the rolling South Downs to its lively coastal towns, Sussex has long inspired artists, writers and visionaries. Now, with a wave of bold new gallery openings and cultural festivals springing up across the region, this creative spirit is luring like-minded residents seeking community in the county. 

“It is more spiritual than London,” poet and painter William Blake wrote in 1800 of his new home in Felpham, West Sussex. “Heaven opens here on all sides her golden gates.” Historically a single county, Sussex was split into East and West in 1889. Today, the divide remains culturally distinct: the west is known for its classic charm and rural grandeur; the east for its bohemian, progressive spirit. 

In West Sussex, grand estates are central to the story. At Petworth House, where both Constable and Turner were regular guests, the 17th-century stately home houses a major National Trust art collection. The town itself, set in the heart of the South Downs National Park, has also become a cultural destination in its own right. “We get many weekenders who are drawn to Petworth,” says Justin Theobald, director of Savills Country House Department and a local resident. “There are a lot of art galleries and antiques shops – it’s a real little hub.”

Nearby, the Goodwood Estate launched its Art Foundation in spring 2025, with two contemporary woodland galleries, and artworks spread across the 70-acre park. “They do a lot to promote art and artists,” Theobald says. “There’s also Goodwood Health Club, where you can do yoga in the sculpture park.”

Similarly, Cowdray Estate holds regular art classes. If your vision board is more coastal than bucolic, however, Theobald recommends the seaside villages of Bosham (“lovely and old-school”) and in-demand West Wittering (“it has lots of actors and musicians”).

Over in East Sussex, the energy shifts. Its artistic reputation owes much to Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant of the Bloomsbury Group, whose Charleston farmhouse, near Firle – with its hand-painted walls and brilliant energy – was a creative sanctuary in the early 20th century. Today, Charleston is a working arts venue, hosting exhibitions, residencies and a new summer festival. In 2023, a sister gallery opened in the market town of Lewes, with the aim of returning key Bloomsbury works to the region that inspired them.

Lewes itself is a magnet for artists. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” says Edward Wain-Heapy, director of Savills Country Department and a lifelong East Sussex resident. “You’ve got the River Ouse running through the middle, a historic castle, beautiful houses. Plus, it’s not that far from Brighton, so that same energy ripples out.” Nearby, Glyndebourne offers a famous summer programme staging world‑class productions in a purpose‑built opera house.

Wain-Heapy also recommends the neighbouring village of Ditchling, central to the Arts and Crafts movement. “It’s right at the foot of the Downs, with many historic houses and a lovely pub – last time I went, it was full of morris dancers.”

Continue south and you reach Brighton and Hove, where galleries, music venues and open-minded attitudes have drawn creative types for decades. “It’s more of a mixed scene, property-wise,” says Wain-Heapy. “We’ve got great little flats for investment and then a newly built house on the market at £5 million. It looks like it should be on a Los Angeles hillside: wall-to-wall windows, views of the sea, terraces, a pool.”

Along the coast lie Hastings and its offbeat sibling, St Leonards. “They’re very interesting to prospective buyers,” says Wain-Heapy. “We’re about to launch a Victorian townhouse on Warrior Square for £1.65 million. In Brighton, a comparable home would be twice the price. And the light here is incredible.”

Art isn’t just something you visit in Sussex, it permeates daily life, from gallery openings to pub conversations to the landscape itself. This long-standing creative current, combined with excellent schools, open-minded communities and good transport links, makes the region especially appealing to those seeking not just a new home, but a new way of living. “The fear for some people is that Sussex is too far,” Wain-Heapy concludes. “But it’s beautiful and way more commutable than people imagine.” The region’s creative legacy is alive, accessible and growing. 

JUSTIN THEOBALD, DIRECTOR, SAVILLS COUNTRY HOUSE DEPARTMENT justin.theobald@savills.com

EDWARD WAIN-HEAPY, DIRECTOR, SAVILLS COUNTRY DEPARTMENT edward.wainheapy@savills.com