Grade II* farmhouse on the Sussex–Kent border with direct ties to a leading mid-20th-century actor and the creator of the Mr Men and Little Miss books. Key facts, location, and the cultural stories tied to the house.
Location and status: Grade II*-listed 16th-century Sussex House Farm is for sale at £3,950,000 and sits by Kent Water near the village of Cowden, close to Sevenoaks.
Cultural significance: The house links two prominent storytellers—an Oscar-winning actor famed for roles such as Pip in Great Expectations and the author behind the Mr Men series.
Setting detail: The property sits on the county border (the river Kent Water) so the estate has a Sussex address while being immediately adjacent to Kent.
# What this house is
# Why the house matters
The house has been a private home for two figures with public profiles in 20th-century British culture. In the 1950s and 1960s it was the family home of Sir John Mills, an actor whose career spanned before and after the Second World War and who won an Academy Award for his role in Ryan's Daughter (1970). Decades later the house was owned by Roger Hargreaves, the advertising copywriter who created the Mr Men series and wrote the Little Miss books while living at Sussex House Farm.
# Sir John Mills and the house
Mills lived at Sussex House Farm during the 1950s and 1960s. His screen career includes In Which We Serve (1942), This Happy Breed, the role of Pip in David Lean's 1946 Great Expectations, and the beer-drinking scene in Ice Cold in Alex. Mills later moved to Denham with his second wife, Hayley Bell, where they lived until his death in 2005 at age 97.
# Roger Hargreaves and the Mr Men legacy
# The setting and practical points
The property's location on the county boundary makes it attractive to buyers looking for countryside near transport and services in the Home Counties. The listing is handled by DDRE Global. The article's description highlights the house's bucolic setting and historical character but does not provide a full inventory of rooms, acreage, or technical details in the supplied text.
# What this means for a buyer
Buyers can expect an historic farmhouse with proven cultural provenance and significant listing status (Grade II*), which will influence permitted changes and restoration requirements. The proximity to Kent Water and to villages such as Cowden and towns like Sevenoaks positions the house for country living with relatively easy access to local centres.
# Quick summary
Sussex House Farm combines architectural heritage and cultural associations: a 16th-century Grade II*-listed farmhouse on the Sussex–Kent border that was once home to Sir John Mills and later to Roger Hargreaves, who created the Little Miss books there. It is offered for sale through DDRE Global at £3,950,000.
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