The eccentric home where Raymond Briggs created The Snowman - complete with a secret bookcase door - has been listed for sale at £775,000.

Mr Briggs, who died in 2022 aged 88, lived and worked at the detached house in Westmeston, East Sussex, for almost 50 years.

His home, named Weston, sits beneath the South Downs countryside which featured in his famous 1978 picture book.

Despite its literary importance, the three-bedroom house now needs significant modernisation for its kitchen, two reception rooms, garden room store and garage.

However the owner may want to keep one bedroom in particular - which is hidden behind a bookcase.

Estate agents Chatt Estates said the bedroom's entrance was a 'mysterious secret door' and was just one of the striking features of the house.

Another is the sculptural fireplace which dominates the middle of the ground floor and separates the two large reception rooms.

Elsewhere stairs lead to a large first-floor reception area which provides access to the bedrooms.

One bedroom has a high vaulted ceiling while another is reached through the concealed bookcase entrance.

Downstairs, the kitchen is currently fitted with basic units, a stainless-steel sink and space for an electric cooker.

The tiled bathroom contains a panelled bath, toilet and pedestal sink, while the house has electric heating.

Weston sits in approximately 0.4 acres of private grounds, with a winding path leading through the greenery to a timber garden room containing its own log burner.

The rural location appears to have provided more than just a peaceful place for Briggs to work.

His tale The Snowman was published in 1978 as a wordless picture book telling the story of a young boy whose snowman comes to life.

Briggs later said the landscape seen during the boy and snowman's magical flight was the South Downs behind his home.

Extra details about the story emerged in handwritten notes Briggs added to a Finnish edition of the book decades later.

The rare annotated copy was discovered during Weston's clearance following Mr Briggs's death.

His original book has since sold more than 5.5 million copies and inspired the famous animated adaptation first broadcast in 1982.

The film became a fixture of British Christmas television and was nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning a BAFTA and introducing audiences to the tune Walking in the Air.

In the original film the song was performed by choirboy Peter Auty, though Aled Jones's cover was highly successful three years later.

Mr Briggs's other famous creations included the grumpy Father Christmas, first published in 1973, and Fungus the Bogeyman, released in 1977.

Weston lies close to the historic village of Ditchling, while Hassocks railway station offers services to London.