Polesden Lacey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polesden Lacey |
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East facade
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| Type | Country house |
| Location | Great Bookham |
| Area | Surrey |
| Built | 1824 |
| Architect |
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| Architectural style(s) | Regency |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Polesden Lacey | |
| Designated | 7 September 1951 |
| Reference no. | 1028665 |
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Polesden Lacey is a beautiful country house and large estate found in Surrey, England. It's located on the North Downs, close to Great Bookham and Dorking. Today, the National Trust looks after Polesden Lacey, and it's one of their most visited places!
The house you see today was mostly built in the Regency style. It was greatly changed in 1906 by Margaret Greville. She was a very famous hostess during the Edwardian era. Margaret Greville loved collecting beautiful things. Her amazing collection of paintings, furniture, porcelain, and silver is still on display. You can see it in the same rooms where she used to host her famous parties.
A very special event happened here in 1923. The future George VI and Queen Elizabeth (who would become the Queen Mother) spent part of their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey. The estate covers about 1,400 acres (570 ha). It has a lovely walled rose garden, wide lawns, old woodlands, and many walking paths.
Contents
The History of Polesden Lacey
The name 'Polesden' comes from a very old English word. The first house on this spot was built a long time ago, by 1336. In 1630, a man named Anthony Rous bought the estate. He rebuilt the old medieval house. The Rous family owned Polesden Lacey until 1723. Then, a politician and economist named Arthur Moore bought it. He added an interesting octagonal (eight-sided) building to the south side of the house.
In 1747, Sir Francis Geary bought the estate. He later retired and lived there. The famous poet and playwright, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, moved to Polesden Lacey in 1797. He tried to improve the house, but his efforts didn't quite work out.
In 1818, Joseph Bonsor, who was a stationer and bookseller, bought the estate. He hired a famous builder named Thomas Cubitt. Cubitt built a completely new house between 1821 and 1823. This new house forms the main part of Polesden Lacey that we see today. Joseph Bonsor passed away in 1835. His son inherited the house. In 1853, the son sold the estate to Sir Walter Farquhar, 3rd Baronet. Sir Walter owned it until he died in 1902.
Polesden Lacey in the Early 1900s
In 1902, Sir Clinton Edward Dawkins bought the Polesden Lacey estate. He was a civil servant who worked for the government. Sir Clinton asked Ambrose Poynter, a well-known architect, to make the house much bigger. Poynter extended the house that Cubitt had built, creating the Polesden Lacey we see today. Sadly, Sir Clinton died in 1905, not long after the work was finished.
In 1906, William McEwan bought the estate for his daughter, Margaret Greville. Margaret and her husband, Ronald Greville, hired famous architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis. These architects also designed the famous Ritz Hotel in London. They remodelled the house for the Grevilles. The couple filled Polesden Lacey with amazing collections of fine furniture, porcelain, silver, and art. Sadly, Ronald Greville died in 1908, only two years after they moved in. He was 46 years old.
Margaret continued to host very grand parties at Polesden Lacey. She also had a home in London where she held many expensive events. Over the next 30 years, she became known as a very important Edwardian society hostess.
A Royal Honeymoon at Polesden Lacey in 1923
In 1923, Margaret Greville invited the Duke and Duchess of York to spend their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey. The royal couple stayed there for two weeks. Just before they arrived, a newspaper called The Illustrated London News took many photos of the house. They published a big article about where the royal honeymoon would take place.
Polesden Lacey and the National Trust (1942 – Today)
Margaret Greville left Polesden Lacey to the National Trust when she died in 1942. She did this in memory of her father, William McEwan, who was a brewer. Margaret was his only child and heir. Her gift included about 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land. It also included many paintings and pieces of furniture. She hoped these would become the start of an art gallery. She left her amazing jewellery collection to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
The National Trust first opened the house to visitors in 1948. In August 1960, a fire sadly destroyed about half of the roof. Some ceilings on the ground floor were also damaged by water as firefighters tried to put out the blaze. Luckily, the workers at the estate saved the valuable art and furniture. The repairs cost about £65,000, which was covered by insurance. The house reopened to the public on 9 June 1962.
In 1995, the National Trust started a big project to restore and update Polesden Lacey. In 2008 and 2009, they improved the visitor areas. They added a new car park, a cafe, a shop, and a farm shop. Not all parts of the house are open to the public, though. Many bedrooms and servants' areas are still closed. From the 1970s until 2015, some of these closed areas were used as offices. There is hope that more rooms will be restored and opened for visitors in the future. This process began in March 2011, when Mrs. Greville's private apartment was opened.
Polesden Lacey welcomed over 287,000 visitors in 2020/21. This makes it one of the National Trust's top ten most-visited properties.
The Polesden Lacey Estate
There are many lovely walks around the Polesden Lacey estate. You can especially enjoy walking in the valley that the main house overlooks. The estate also has a Youth Hostel called Tanners Hatch.
Polesden Lacey has outdoor spaces for performances. These are used in the summer for different music and theatre events. In 2009, there was a special event called the Polesden Lacey Festival. In 2016, a campsite was opened on the estate, allowing people to stay overnight.
