Hammerwood Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hammerwood Park
Former names	Hammerwood Lodge
General information
Type	English country house
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Doric
Town or city	Hammerwood, East Grinstead
Country	United Kingdom
Construction started	1792; 233 years ago (1792)
Completed	c. 1795
Design and construction
Architect	Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820)
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Listed Building – Grade I
Designated	26 November 1952; 72 years ago (1952-11-26)
Reference no.	1191730
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
Type	Grade II
Designated	25 March 1987; 38 years ago (1987-03-25)
Reference no.	1000306

Hammerwood Park is a beautiful country house in Hammerwood, near East Grinstead, in East Sussex, England. It's a very important building, listed as Grade I, which means it's super special! Built in 1792, it was one of the first homes in England designed in the Greek Revival style, looking like ancient Greek temples. A famous architect named Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed it. Did you know the rock band Led Zeppelin even owned it for a while, from 1973 to 1982?

Exploring Hammerwood Park's Past

The Land Before the House

Before Hammerwood Park was built, this land was part of a large estate called The Bower. This name probably came from a family called Atte Boure, who lived here in the 1290s. In the 1500s, another family, the Bottings, started an iron forge nearby. This forge used to make iron.

The land was once a medieval deer park, a special area where deer were kept. In 1693, some of the trees were cut down to make space for a house. It seems there was an older building on the site where Hammerwood Park now stands. Parts of the current house's foundations are from before 1792.

Building Hammerwood Lodge (1790s)

Around 1791 or 1792, a wealthy man named John Sperling asked the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe to design a new country house. Sperling wanted a hunting lodge, like the Jagdschloss houses in Germany. He decided to call it Hammerwood Lodge. This name was a nod to the iron forge that used to be in the area.

Latrobe started supervising the building work in late 1792. The house was designed to look grand, with a large central part and smaller wings. It featured special Coadeware plaques with scenes from ancient Greek art. The design was inspired by ancient Greek temples.

By 1795, Latrobe faced money problems and moved to America. It's thought that the Sperling family finished the house without him. However, the Sperlings also lost a lot of money, and they had to sell Hammerwood Lodge between 1798 and 1800.

Victorian Era Changes (1800-1921)

Around 1801, Magens Dorrien Magens, a banker and politician, bought Hammerwood. His son, John Dorrien Magens, later owned the house. He helped bring the railway to East Grinstead in 1855. During their time, more parts were added to the house.

Hammerwood Lodge after changes in the late 1800s

In 1864, Oswald Augustus Smith bought Hammerwood. He hired architect Samuel Sanders Teulon to make changes to the house in 1865. Teulon added a third floor to the central part of the house, but he made sure it still looked like Latrobe's original design.

Oswald Augustus Smith was very generous. He added a gas lighting system to the house. He also helped build a church, a village school for 100 children, and other buildings in the local area. Many houses in the village of Hammerwood were built for estate workers during his time.

In 1901, the Rev. George Ferris Whidborne bought Hammerwood. His family lived there until 1921. During World War I, his eldest son was sadly killed. After the war, the family had to sell off much of the land due to taxes. The house was then renamed Hammerwood Park.

Decline and Neglect (1921-1982)

In 1921, Lt. Col. Stephen Hungerford Pollen bought the house and its remaining land. His family was the first to have electricity and main water supply at Hammerwood. They had many staff members working in the house.

When World War II started, the Kirwan Taylor family owned Hammerwood. Like many large houses, it was used by the armed forces. About 200 soldiers stayed there, including famous cricketer Denis Compton. An airstrip was even used by planes from November 1943.

Hammerwood became very run down in the late 1900s. View from the south, 1982

View from the north, 1982

After the war, John Chattell bought the estate and divided the house into eleven apartments. However, the house started to suffer from serious dry and wet rot. It became unsafe to live in. In 1973, the famous rock band Led Zeppelin bought Hammerwood. They wanted to turn it into a recording studio and flats. The house even appeared in their film The Song Remains the Same. But their plans didn't work out.

Sadly, the house was badly damaged by vandals, and lead was stolen from the roof. This caused a lot of water to get in, making the rot worse. Hammerwood was boarded up in 1976 and put up for sale in 1978.

Bringing Hammerwood Back to Life (1982-Present)

After being for sale for four years, Hammerwood Park was bought by David Pinnegar in July 1982. The house was in terrible condition, with overgrown gardens. David wanted to restore it and open it to visitors. Many volunteers helped with the restoration work.

The restoration won awards, including the Anne de Amodio award in 1984. A writer named Simon Jenkins even called Mr. Pinnegar "one of those eccentrics without whom half the houses in England would have vanished."

In 1984, the house received a special copy of the Parthenon Frieze, which is now displayed in a room called the Elgin Room. The Great Storm of 1987 caused a lot of damage, but a helicopter even helped deliver new roof lead in 1988! The restoration was mostly paid for by visitors, making it a huge private project. Work is still ongoing to keep the house beautiful.

Hammerwood Park Today

Hammerwood Park and its gardens have been open to the public since 1983. You can take guided tours to learn about the house's history, its Greek Revival style, and its connections to ancient myths. The house also has a large collection of musical instruments. These are used for concerts throughout the year.

Cheryl Cole being interviewed at Hammerwood during the filming of her music video for The Flood

The estate is often used as a film location for TV shows, movies, fashion shoots, and photography. Films like Knife Edge and London Boulevard have been filmed here. Music videos for artists like Led Zeppelin, The Darkness, Victoria Beckham, Melanie C, and Cheryl Cole have also been made at Hammerwood. Even Beyoncé had a Vogue cover shoot here in 2018!

Park and Gardens

Hammerwood Park is built on a hill facing south. This gives it amazing views across the valley. At the bottom of the valley, there's a winding lake. This lake was probably created when the house was first built. The landscape design was influenced by famous designers like Humphry Repton and Capability Brown.

In the 1800s, more formal gardens were added. Oswald Augustus Smith, who bought the house in 1864, probably created the beautiful ornamental gardens to the east. He also planted many special trees and rhododendrons. In 1927, a Yew Garden was added. This garden has been restored and is now a helicopter landing site.

During the time the house was neglected, many of the gardens became overgrown. But a lot of the ornamental garden has been restored and replanted by volunteers. The parkland and gardens were given Grade II listed status in 1987.

Entrances and Paths

When Hammerwood Park was first built, a long, winding driveway led to the house from the south. This path was designed to make the house look even bigger than it was. However, from the mid-1800s, people started using a different, more practical route from the railway town.

The old southern driveway is now rarely used and is partly covered by hedges. The original entrance lodge, called Dog Gate Lodge, is still there. There were also two other entrance drives to the house, from the north-west and north-east, but these are no longer used.