A couple have said they’re heartbroken after a family home of more than six decades faces being demolished by new owners.

Hiawatha on Chapel Road in Swanmore dates back to the 1400s and is well-known throughout the village.

Eric Abbott, 94, who lived in the house for 64 years, sold the property in February, relocating two miles away with his partner Patricia, where they spend time being visited by their 21 great-grandchildren.

Eric and his family had hoped the new owners would maintain the property – believed to have been named Hiawatha by a previous owner in 1946 – but instead were left shocked to discover a planning application had been submitted to Winchester City Council to demolish the flint cottage, in favour of using the land to build two new dwellings.

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Speaking to the Echo, Eric said: “I wouldn’t like to see the building demolished in favour of more modern housing.

“When I decided I had to sell, I made it clear to the agent to sell the property to someone that wanted to maintain it, so it’s come as a shock.

“I’d like the building to be there for another 200 years, it would probably outlive most other houses.”

Eric’s partner, Patricia, added: “We were heartbroken when we heard the news.

“Hiawatha dates back to a time when King Henry VIII was alive, so it’s full of history.

“It’s a lovely country cottage; we’ve had developers interested in buying the building for eight years and we never sold it to them. For the land to be converted into two modern day homes after we thought someone would be getting their forever home is a huge shame.”

An online petition has seen more than 80 people in less than 24 hours protest against plans to knock down Hiawatha.

Residents have also written objection letters against the proposed development on Winchester City Council’s planning portal.

Objecting to the plans, Paris Olatunya said: “This is a beautiful home, it is well-known in the area and should be in the hands of somebody willing to bring it back to life, not destroy its history for financial gain.

“Our village does not need new homes crammed into old plots. We have plenty of new builds going up already.”