A home with a whole lot of history in Bosham

For some a homes history is of no interest, but for Debbie Collino finding out who lived at Critchfield House, Bosham has been fascinating.

“I have enjoyed learning about its history so much,” she said.

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“It was a guest house before I bought it, a vicarage during the war and a hotel in the 1940s called the Viking.

“We think there may have been a monastery here at some point and there are some stones that date from Saxon times I think and can be found at the church in Bosham.

“I have loved finding out more about it and adding to its history.”

The detached period home dates back to the early 17th century, although remarkably it is not a listed building, but it retains its period charm and many of its original features.

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These include the flagstone flooring in the hall, exposed beams and carved wood fireplace in the sitting room.

“Many of the beams are from decommissioned boats,” explained Debbie. “The fireplace has a Tudor Rose on it and the beams have the marks from when it was on the ships with nicks and nails.”

Although not listed Debbie has said that they haven’t done any major changes to the outside of the property and any work inside has been superficial.

“When we moved in there were lots of doors from different eras and all mismatched so we updated that and replaced the, with all the same,” she added.

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Debbie moved into the property in 2003, she moved down from a Victorian house in London and was initially looking for somewhere with a lot of land.

“We just thought ‘wow’,” she said. “Literally as soon as you walk through the door we got this sense of it being full of so much history.

“We did want more land but when we saw this home we knew it was the one we wanted.”

The ground floor has a large sitting room which was originally two rooms, a dining room with a log burner, a family room and kitchen room which has hand crafted wood units, granite work tops and an AGA.

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The first floor has a master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, three further bedrooms, one with an en-suite shower room and a modern family bathroom.

There is also a second floor with a further two rooms with restricted head height.

At the rear is a annexe with its own entrance which has a bedroom, en-suite shower room and a small kitchenette, from here is a staircase that connects the bedroom to the first floor, but it can be it own self contained space.

“Even though it is a period property is isn’t dingy but really light and airy,” she explained.

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“It is a very quirky home with loads of interesting qualities.”

An ideal family home with enough rooms for a growing brood, it would also suit a couple.

“This house absorbs people,” she said.

“At Christmas I think I had about 18 to 20 people here and the house just absorbs them in the various rooms it isn’t a massive house but would be perfect for a growing family, or it would suit a couple comfortably who wanted a little bit of extra space.”

It is clear that Debbie loves this home but feels it is time to move on.

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“I will miss the charming and uniqueness of it above anything else,” she said.

“I have loved living here. But it is time for us to move on and let someone share in its history.

“I feel blessed to have lived here but feel we added what we can and it is someone else’s turn to add their own chapter.”

Approximate gross internal floor area, including garage, 3,319sqftSouth-west-facing gardenPotential for two bedroom annexeSeven bedrooms, four bathrooms and three reception roomsBosham also has a railway station with links to the cathedral city of Chichester with its high street shopping, restaurants, cafes and bars, Festival Theatre and a mainline station to London Victoria.Guide Price £1,590,000

Henry Adams, Rowan House, Baffins Lane, Chichester, PO19 1UA. Call 01243 533377.