| Polesden Lacey | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Great Bookham, Surrey, England |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | National Trust |
Polesden Lacey is an Edwardian house (expanded from an earlier building) and estate. It is located on the North Downs at Great Bookham, near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust's most popular properties.
This Regency house was extensively remodelled in 1906 by the Hon. Mrs Ronald Greville, a well-known Edwardian hostess. Her collection of fine paintings, furniture, porcelain and silver is displayed in the reception rooms and galleries, as it was at the time of her celebrated house parties.
There are extensive grounds, a walled rose garden, lawns and landscape walks through part of the estate of 1,400 acres (5.6 square kilometres).
The future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent part of their honeymoon here in 1923.
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The name 'Polesden' is thought to be Saxon. The first house was built here by 1336. Anthony Rous bought the estate in 1630 and rebuilt the medieval house. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the poet and playwright, bought the house in 1804.[1]
The house at one time belonged to Sir Francis Geary but his Polesden Lacey was demolished when Joseph Bonsor bought the estate and had the present house built. He died in 1835, and the house passed to his son. Since then, there have been several owners of the property until it was bought in 1906 by William McEwan, for Captain the Honourable Ronald Greville and his wife, the former Margaret Anderson, William McEwan's daughter.
Architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis, who were responsible for the Ritz Hotel in London, remodelled the house for the Grevilles, remodelling the 19th century design of Thomas Cubitt. The couple filled the house with collections of fine furniture, porcelain, and silver, and art.
Polesden Lacey was left to the National Trust by Mrs Greville in 1942 in memory of her father, William McEwan (she was his illegitimate daughter and sole heir). There was a serious fire in 1960, which caused damage but not serious loss. In 1995 the National Trust embarked on a programme of restoration and renovation.[1] In 2008/9 the visitor facilities were fairly extensively re-furbished, with a new car park, cafe, shop and farm shop. It received 250,000 visitors in 2007–2008 and 215,000 in 2008–2009, placing it in the Trust's top ten most-visited properties.[2]
Less than half the property is open for viewing. This is because Mrs Greville stated in her will that the bedrooms and such should not be opened. Many of the outbuildings are used by the National Trust as a regional administration centre. The National Trust normally runs sessions to see behind the scenes, including 'Waking-up the House' tours, as the house is opened for the visitor season (early March in 2009) and similar sessions at the end of the season.
There are a number of walks around the Polesden Lacey estate, especially in the valley that the main house overlooks. The estate includes a Youth Hostel, Tanners Hatch.
The re-modelling of the facilities in 2008/9 means that the cafe and shop (as well as the walks) can now be accessed without paying for admission.
Polesden Lacey also has open-air performing facilities, which are used during the summer to host various musical and theatrical events. In 2009 there was the Polesden Lacey Festival.[3]