A former church has been turned into a house containing rooms with a pew.

The Old Chapel, complete with imposing three-storey steeple and six bedrooms, has just finished being converted into a des res with a difference by the Richardson family.

The former Methodist chapel, tucked away in the village of Catsfield, near Battle, was built in 1912.

It was used as a church until the 1980s, when the cost of its upkeep became too much for the congregation which had dwindled by then to just seven.

The church was then sold to the Richardsons, who converted it into a house.

The impressive stained-glass windows and solid oak doors are a permanent reminder of the home's original purpose. The centrepiece of the property is the altar, which has been retained in the dining area.

Linda Richardson and her family moved into the property seven years after conversion work began in the early 1990s.

She said: "The rooms are so vast, airy and spacious, yet it is still very, very homely and cosy.

"You don't need curtains because all the windows are either frosted or stained glass. It means you can have privacy, but still be part of the community."

The steeple, containing two rooms accessed via a winding spiral staircase, is currently used as a children's play area.

Mrs Richardson said: "The rooms in the steeple are really stunning. They have these amazing arch windows and the light really floods in.

"It's a wonderful house to live in, being so different."