Brook Lodge, later known as The Grange, was built by Arthur Brook in about 1750, Arthur was the grandfather of the famous ‘Squire’ A. S. Brook.
‘Squire’ Arthur Sawyer Brook later lived in the Manor House but moved back to Brook Lodge when the Manor House began to deteriorate in the late 19th century.
The Grange or Brook Lodge, as it first became known, was built around 1745 by Arthur Brook (the grandfather) whose family had moved to Bexhill from West Hoathly.
The ownership of the property was secured for Arthur when he was named the sole benefactor of his late uncle’s estate (George Elphick).
The Brook family quickly established themselves as an important family in the town. Their association with the Dorset estate began with Arthur Brook’s management of agricultural land owned by John Sackville.
Before Arthur’s death, in 1782, the Brook family had been farming almost 1000 acres, including Cooding Farm and the Polegroves and this association wiht the Sackvilles saw the family move out of Brook Lodge and into the Manor House (Court Lodge), and rent the Brook property out to tenants.
When Arthur Brook died, his son, Arthur Elphick Brooks, inherited Brook Lodge but, it would seem that, like his father, he preferred to stay at Court lodge, leaving his bother Stephen to take up residence at the Lodge.
During the Second World War, a V1 ‘doodlebug’ crashed into the garden causing serious damage to the house.