Leaving London: how one couple swapped renting in London for a renovation project in a Sussex Citadel

Jane Skynner and Marshall Hewison

(Picture: Handout)

Just before the pandemic Jane Skynner and Marshall Hewison were already plotting their escape from London, and were within weeks of agreeing the sale of a cute south coast tea shop they planned to run together.

But as winter turned to spring 2020 and rumours of imminent lockdown restrictions swirled, they decided to press pause on their scheme. Instead, the couple, who were living separately in Kingston on Thames and Walton on Thames agreed to decamp to Camber Sands in East Sussex where Jane had a holiday home. “I had been dreading moving out of London for 30 years,” said Jane. “Then, with lockdown approaching, I had to do the whole move in three days.”