The Cat House

The Cat House, Henfield

Next to Pinchnose Green stands the Cat House, a timber Tudor building decorated with images of cats with canaries in their paws! Opposite the Cat House stands the Reeve House, the 15th century home of the reeve of Stretham Manor who managed the running of the estate. To the right, St Peter’s Cottage is one of the earliest buildings in the village dating from the 1400s.

Built in 1550, The Cat House is named after the metal cats that adorn the outside of the building. This beautiful Grade II Listed timber-framed building was once owned by Bob Ward, a local eccentric, back in the 18th century who decorated his house with cats to seek revenge for the death of a beloved pet. The story goes that Nathaniel Woodard, founder of the famous Woodard schools, had a pet cat which killed one of Ward’s canaries. In response, Ward placed the metal cats (depicted with a canary in their paws) around his cottage and connected them with a string of bells. Whenever Woodard walked by, the bells would chime as a reminder of the canary’s death. This house is now an iconic Henfield building.