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The House and Gardens

Shaped by centuries and stories.

At the estate's heart stands a Grade I listed Manor House, framed by walled gardens. This oak-beamed sanctuary, beating with a 15th-century heart, offers refuge and restoration — a place where wellbeing meets heritage. Currently on Historic England's 'Heritage At Risk' register, we're fighting to preserve its future.

Today, the house stands not just as a historic structure, but as a living place whose story continues to unfold. Visitors can engage with its heritage and history via an exciting programme of tours, performances and creative courses. To visit the historic house and gardens you will need to hold a ticket to one of these events

Visit The House

A brief history

The house has a rich and layered history, from medieval monarchs to modern day heroes.

The earliest wing dates from 1425, however we know that there was a structure on the site earlier than that. During the Tudor era the estate was a royal residence. It was seized by Henry VIII in 1532 and given to his cousin and childhood friend, Henry Courtenay — who hosted the monarch multiple times for hunting and feasting. The house has changed hands many times since, and was owned by the Raleigh family and the Montagues, who employed Guy Fawkes. During the 20th century the house, owned by Lord and Lady Crewe, saw lavish 1930s parties and stationed Canadian Troops during World War II.

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Architecture of the house

This beautiful house doesn't look its age. The brick façade greeting you on arrival is a glorious sham. It is in fact a free-standing wall constructed in the 1600s and concealing a far older building. Rather than supporting the house, it was simply fixed to the original timber frame — a theatrical flourish that still charms today.

600 years and multiple periods of construction have left a puzzle of architecture to unravel and explore — from large Tudor extensions to a flourish of 1930s interiors.

Remarkable characters

West Horsley Place has played host to an extraordinary cast of characters. One of the first woman writers ever to be printed grew up here in the 1380s. We believe that Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Catherine Parr all dropped in during Henry VIII's ownership. During her lifetime Queen Elizabeth I visited West Horsley Place six times, when it was owned by her friend Elizabeth Fitzgerald.  Guy Fawkes worked here as a servant in the 1590s. Carew Raleigh, son of the great Sir Walter, owned the house in the mid-1600s and brought his famous father's embalmed head with him (we have the red velvet bag the head was kept in). In more recent times Ian Fleming and the Queen Mother were known to been guests at glamourous weekend house parties. 

Features and Rooms

Explore the Manor House at an Open Day or on a Guided Tour, and uncover fascinating rooms, features and stories

  • The Stone Hall

    The first room on your left as you enter the front door is the heart of the house, what was the original medieval Great Hall. This is where Henry VIII famously dined in 1533, feasting on an extraordinary 45-course lunch. It was later transformed with classical style pillars and porticos that you see today.

  • The Library

    In the heart of the west wing is The Library. Mary Roxburghe's father, Lord Crewe, filled the room with tens of thousands of books. The room is divided by a pair of 15th century wooden arches which intriguingly bear witch's marks, placed with the intent that no witch could pass them.

  • The Stone Kitchen

    At the east end of the house is the Stone Kitchen. It dates from the Tudor period, as is proved by the large and splendid window with small panes retaining much of the original glass. The 19th Century furnishing of the room harks back to a time when the kitchen would have been busy with servants preparing and distributing the food.

  • The Geraldine Room

    A small section of Tudor ceiling remains in the upstairs of the Manor House. We believe it is the oldest decorative plasterwork ceiling in the country and is decorated with the initials of the owners Anthony Browne and Elizabeth FitzGerald.

  • The Dog Kennels

    Either side of the front door are two matching Grade II listed brick dog kennels.

    Records from the 1840s tell they were ‘occupied by two noble deer hounds named Dersy and Dermid.

  • The Drawing Room

    The first floor drawing room was created when the medieval great hall was rebuilt in 1500 creating a hall below and a 'great chamber' above. Its most striking feature is the red silk that covers the walls, sewn together from different 17th and 18th century fabric.

  • The Serpentine Wall

    The Serpentine (also known as Crinkle-Crankle) Wall is a rare historic feature of the gardens. It's curving shape was built to create shelter and warmth for delicate fruit trees and plants.

The Walled Gardens

The Walled Gardens are a delightful and unusual combination of formal and informal.

The formal box hedges are possibly a faint echo of the Tudor gardens — bills survive for extensive work in Henry VIII's ownership. Before World War II, there were numerous full time gardeners and stretches of stunning herbaceous boarders. The current simplicity of the layout reflects how both staff and resources become stretched after the war.

Today, a dedicated group of volunteers are looking after the garden and rejuvenating it. We have restored the rose garden and planted new beds along the historic Serpentine Wall.

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  • Our history

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