Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex dates from around 1350. It was owned by the church from 1395 to 1888, and the house was in such disrepair that it was marked for demolition. However, the house was saved when the newly formed National Trust stepped in and made their first ever purchase of a building. It was then leased to Sir Robert Witt, who co-founded the National Art-Collections Fund (now the Art Fund), and then Charles Aitken, a future Director of the Tate Gallery.
