In the medieval village of Alfriston, tucked into the folds of the South Downs, The Star is one of the oldest buildings on a very old street. It began life in 1345 as a hostel run by the monks of Battle Abbey, built to shelter friars and pilgrims walking to the shrine of St Richard at Chichester. It became an inn proper in the 16th century, and somewhere along the way acquired the carved red lion that still stands guard on its frontage, said to be salvaged from a wrecked Dutch warship and carried into the village by smugglers (Alfriston has never been short of those).
In today's episode, Molly sits down with Alex Polizzi to hear how she and her mother Olga brought this 15th-century landmark back to life. It's a restoration story with an unlikely twist of fate at its centre: The Star was once part of the Forte hotel empire built by Alex's grandfather, Lord Forte, which makes the whole project something close to a family homecoming. From the realities of rebuilding behind a listed timber facade to what hospitality dynasties actually pass down, this conversation is about heritage, instinct, and the long art of keeping a great old building useful.
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What started as a project to share the stories behind spaces has snowballed into something a little bit bigger.
From founders sharing their stories of burnout and loneliness to the spaces leading the charge in rewilding and sustainable food production, Curated Spaces is about living life in full colour and connecting deeply with the spaces and faces around us.
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