About Us
Louise was brought up on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. It was an idyllic rural way of life with parents who had a smallholding that included a Jersey house cow called Strawberry and various Tamworth pigs, the very first of which was called Maud. When she wasn’t at school or milking Strawberry, Louise was generally found riding her pony on Dartmoor.
Simon was brought up in a farming family that has farmed in Sussex for well over 30 years. As he was growing up he ran a turkey business on the farm, and helped out with the herd of cattle and calving amongst other things.
The pair married in 1989, buying a house only a few miles away from Simon’s parents farm. They never expected to stay there for what is now 35 years, but soon realised Hunts Gate had everything they, as a family, ever wanted and was the perfect place to bring up their two girls.
Given their upbringings it is no surprise that, alongside their day jobs which bring in the money, they run a smallholding together which started back in the 1990s with two Aberdeen Angus ladies – Portia and Daisy.
Over the years Portia and Daisy’s progeny were born and raised and added to the herd at Simon’s parents farm. In addition, there is an ever-changing menagerie of animals ranging from bantams, ducks and guinea fowl to cats, dogs, sheep and horses. It is an idyllic way of life. Their two daughters, Fiona and Ginny, fledged the nest a number of years ago now and both live in London, yet they come back often to get away from the rat race and to chill in Sussex.
The Bird Loft fledged in June 2024 when Louise decided to leave full-time work and move to working part time locally. In such a small space of time, she has met so many lovely guests, some of whom have already returned to stay again in The Bird Loft.
The couple’s aim is to give guests a home from home experience and they love meeting people, sharing stories, introducing the animals on the smallholding and suggesting places to visit and walks to enjoy.
Life is for living – come to Sussex, a little piece of heaven, and leave the rat race behind.
