History

The name, Gallops Farm, derives from a family called Gallop (or Gallup) whose name appears in the Westmeston parish records through the 17th and 18th Centuries.

The cottage was built over several phases but it is believed the original open-hall house would have been constructed in the latter half of the 16th Century. The central part of the cottage has wattle and daub plastered walls and three horizontal sliding sash windows (Yorkshire sash), possibly dating back to the 18th Century.

Census records show that between 1790 and 1910 the cottage and farm was owned and / or occupied by several faming families and agricultural labourers.

In 1910 it was acquired, along with 6 other farms in the area (700 acres in total), by the Australian businessman and automotive pioneer Selwyn Edge, who eventually put the whole Gallops Estate up for sale by auction at the White Hart Hotel, Lewes in the Summer of 1930.

Between 1930 and 2020 the farm was farmed by two generations of one family, some of whom still live and work locally.

Historic records refer to the field around the cottage as “The Great Mead”.

*Maps right hand side from 1839 (top) and 1910 (bottom).