Evening Standard

 

Spencer Swaffer, 57, and his wide Freya, 40, loved their Grade II listed Georgian residence in Arundel, West Sussex, even before they first stepped over the threshold. "We`d always wanted to live in a house called Sun House," explains Swaffer, "It’s such a cheerful name." When they viewed the three-storey property the spotted a tiny rising-sun motif set in the fanlight above the front door and immediately knew they had found their home.

 

Built in 1770, the house had been owned by wealth brewer George Constable in the 19th century. Constable was an amateur artist who befriended his famous namesake, John Constable, and imitated his painting style - so successfully that some contemporaries could not tell work by the two Constables apart.

 

Swaffer, enchanted by both the beautiful proportions and artistic history of the place, didn’t hesitate. He bought the property after his first visit and proceeded to spend eight months and £100,000 on a makeover, plundering his own treasure trove of architectural antiques to bring out the building’s own uniquely sunny disposition.