England Rugby ‘supremo’ relocates to picturesque East Sussex village after finding new build at Thakeham community

The developer said Richard Field, 77, who had a hugely successful career, has moved to Newick for his retirement with his wife Sue, 76, after finding a new build at Berry Croft.

Thakeham said Richard spent a decade working in the Rugby Football Union, which included being marketing director at the England RFU at HQ Twickenham. After other impressive job titles, he was elected as Wandsworth Ward councillor and Mayor of Wandsworth twice, before he retired in 2022.

Richard and Sue picked a new energy-efficient home at Berry Croft, which is an exclusive community of 39 properties built by Thakeham. Visit www.thakeham.com to find out more.

Richard said: “We knew we wanted to move back to Sussex as we knew it so well. Sue was born and bred in East Sussex, and we both lived here twenty-five years ago to raise our children who attended local schools.”

They sold their Edwardian four-bedroom house in Balham, South West London, and became two of the first Berry Croft residents. They reserved their house in November 2023 and moved in this spring.

Sue said: “We initially looked at other period properties, but we felt a new build home would be right for us. We didn’t want the hassle of all the general maintenance of an older house, such as old boilers, changing electrics and sash windows etcetera. A new build gave us a clean slate.”

She said: “When we visited, we liked the Sussex style and varied character of the homes. In fact, the individuality and the spaciousness of the houses were a big plus. Most importantly, the location was key – it’s walkable to the village which has a baker, general store, chemist, great choice of pubs and a recreational ground for the grandchildren. We’re lucky to look out of our windows to views of Fletching village and Ashdown Forest beyond.”

Richard said Thakeham had been ‘excellent’ in helping with their move.

He said being the mayor of one of the largest boroughs in London was ‘thoroughly rewarding’ and ‘all-encompassing’. He said: “Now we are both making the most of some downtime, reconnecting with old friends and enjoy helping to look after our grandchildren. We’ve discovered the village has a very active and thriving community with various fetes, food fairs and Guy Fawkes bonfire event in Newick. A bus stop has been placed right outside the main entrance to our development which connects us easily to Uckfield and Haywards Heath for trains to London.”

Richard added: “We have definitely noticed how energy-efficient and well-insulated the house is. It keeps us lovely and warm in winter, yet cool in the recent heat wave, which is a world away from our old home!”

Thakeham said Richard and Sue Field live in a double-fronted, white-clad three-bedroom Ripley home with a separate garage. They said the remaining homes at Berry Croft include two, three and four beds from £460,000, with incentives available. The homes will be ready to move into later this year and all properties feature electric car charging points, energy-efficient lighting and superior insulation as standard, with options for solar PV panels on various house types.