Witley Park

Coordinates: 51°08′50″N 0°40′49″W / 51.147165°N 0.680255°W / 51.147165; -0.680255

Thursley Lodge gatehouse, at Witley Park.

Witley Park was a 19th-century house and is an estate in Surrey, between Godalming and Haslemere. The 32 bedroom mansion burned down in the 1950s. The landscaped grounds include three artificial lakes, one of which conceals an underground conservatory and smoking room.

History

The estate named Lea Park between Godalming and Haslemere, Surrey, and the adjacent South Park Farm, were purchased in 1890 from the Earl of Derby. The title to the estate included the titular Lordship of the Manor and control of Hindhead Common. Lea Park was developed by J. Whitaker Wright, as part of extensive land, approximately 9,000 acres (36 km2; 14 sq mi), that he purchased in the Haslemere and Hindhead area.

Statue of Neptune on an island at Witley Park

The preexisting house was developed into a 32 bedroom mansion adjacent to one of three artificial lakes, and landscaped grounds. Underneath the adjacent lake[1] Whitaker Wright built an underground conservatory and smoking room, with aquarium windows, upon which a statue of Neptune stands, giving the appearance it is floating on the water.[2]

Whitaker Wright committed suicide upon conviction for fraud, and his properties were auctioned off. Much of Hindhead Common, Witley Common and Thursley Common was passed on to the National Trust.

Lea Park was sold to Lord Pirrie, notable for his role in the building of RMS Titanic. The letter P with a crown above can be seen on metal gates in the estate and previously-owned lands.

The estate was renamed from Lea Park to Witley Park by the Leigh family, later owners, perhaps to avoid the confusion with Lea/Leigh.

In 1973 the estate, now comprising some 1,400 acres, was purchased by Sir Raymond and Lady Brown. In 2002 the Brown family sold the 500 acres of walled-off Parkland, Gate Lodges and Cottages, retaining Witley Park Farm to the south.

Present

The original Witley Park mansion burned down in 1952 and 'Witley Park House', a Modern movement home designed by Patrick Gwynne,[3] was built elsewhere on the estate in 1961. The landscaped park remained.[4]

Permission for a new house on the site of the old mansion was granted around 2004 and is now completed.

References

  1. ↑ "Whittaker Wright: His Home at Lea", West Gippsland [Victoria, BC] Gazette, 11 August 1903
  2. ↑ "Boston Evening Transcript - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "News - Exploring Surrey's Past". exploringsurreyspast.org.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
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