Laughton Lodge is a rural cohousing community on 25 acres of land in East Sussex, about an hour from London. It was formed in 1998 when a group of families jointly purchased an old hospital site and converted it homes of varying sizes and styles.
The community comprises 22 households who have their own private space, but collaboratively manage the land and facilities. Facilities are partially off-grid: water is from a borehole, heating is from a wood-chip powered district heating system, electricity from an 85kw community-owned solar array, which means the community is often self-sufficient in summer months. Over 11,000sqft of buildings provide offices, co-working space, artists studios, meeting space and guest rooms. The site has horses, stables, chickens, individual and shared allotments, shared polytunnels and children’s play facilities.
Living there
There is currently a 4 bedroom house for sale. It was built in 1999 and was recently refurbished to a high standard. It is a timber framed construction with cedar cladding and roof, underfloor hearting plus a 7kw wood burner, and a unique layout with vaulted ceiling and abundant natural light.