My first interaction with Nab Cottage

Background to the Nab Cottage newsletter

I am Cathy Larkin, the owner of Nab Cottage (pictured with my dog Charlie on a recent visit to Bodiam Castle.) Nab Cottage was originally a Victorian farmhouse, dating from the 1850s. It is situated in Bexhill-on-Sea, a small seaside town of about 40,000 people, located in the county of Sussex, on the south east coast of England, in the United Kingdom. From March 2019 until December 2024, I ran a vegan and dog-friendly Bed & Breakfast at the cottage, whilst also writing wildlife stories for children. Now I am starting this newsletter, which will reflect my historical, literary and environmental interests. Come along with me to discover the history of my house and the surrounding area, the background to my children’s stories, and the extent of the creative scene in the county of Sussex.

My first interaction with Nab Cottage

Nab Cottage is situated on a residential road, called Broad Oak Lane, in Bexhill. The town, in the county of Sussex, has an interesting history which I shall elaborate on in future posts. I grew up here, moved away when I turned 18, and then came back again in my late thirties. There’s a story there too for later posts.

As a child I often walked our black labrador dog past Nab Cottage, admiring the house and wondering who lived in it. The house was different to the other houses on Broad Oak Lane because it was set back from the road, with an expanse of front lawn caught between two walls, and then another small bit of lawn laid out before the house. To the right of the front lawns, a rough, mud and stone track formed a driveway from the road. This track carried on past the side of the house, before merging into the verdant back garden. I was intrigued by the house, admiring its proportions. To a child it looked very grand. In style it was similar to other Sussex houses, being built of red clay bricks, with wooden casement windows and a tiled roof. The roof tiles are Sussex peg tiles, which hang from two nails, and are specific to our county. This photo was taken when I bought the house in 2016.

The house looked like a traditional English country cottage, with the porch in the middle and windows to each side, top and bottom. There was a chimney to the right of the roof. We don’t really use the word ‘quaint’ any more but that is probably how the cottage would be described. It looked charming and inviting, and I wanted to know more about it, but as I got older and eventually moved away from the town, I forgot about the house.

It wasn’t until I reached my late thirties that I decided to re-settle in Bexhill. My Mum still lived in the town, and she hadn’t been well, so I left London and came home. For a few years I lived in a lovely house on Manor Road, in the Old Town of Bexhill, with my golden retriever Ruby, but when I decided that I wanted to open a Bed & Breakfast I knew I needed a bigger house with more off-road parking.

I couldn’t believe it when Nab Cottage came onto the market in November 2016. As soon as I walked through the front door, with my Mum and the Estate Agent, I remember turning to my Mum and smiling. I wanted this house. It felt welcoming and I knew that it had been loved. The proportions were not as grand as I had imagined. There were two rooms downstairs, to each side of the front door, and a steep staircase rising from the front door to a small landing, with one bedroom on each side and a further bedroom to the back. An extension to the cottage had provided an upstairs bathroom with a utility room below it. From the back bedroom I could see out into the large garden. It looked secluded and, as soon as I got outside, I could see all the trees and hear the birds who called this wildlife haven home. I felt like I was in the countryside.

This magical place had to be mine. I put in an offer and it was accepted, with the vendors favouring me over the many developers who had wanted to pull down the house and put a row of small, modern houses in its place, extending to the back of the garden. The neighbours were equally relieved that the cottage would be saved and renovated. It needed a lot of work doing to it.

Next time…. Find out about my year-long, environmentally-friendly makeover of Nab Cottage.