Polesden Lacey

Main hall with stairs and tapestries on first floor landing

Chandelier

Polesden Lacey was bequeathed to the National Trust on the death of its owner, Dame Margaret Helen Greville, Hon Mrs Greville, in 1942. Described as a society hostess and philanthropist, she came from fairly humble origins, being the illegitimate daughter of the brewing millionaire, William McEwan of Glasgow and Helen Anderson, wife of one of the brewery workers. Mr McEwan married Mrs Anderson when her husband died and the family moved to London when Margaret was about twelve as her father became a member of parliament.

Ensuite bathroom

Margaret married the Hon, Ronald Greville in 1891, aged 28. He was the heir to the Greville Baronetcy and a great friend of Edward VII. They bought Poleden Lacey in 1906 and set about making it a country retreat where they could entertain their rich and influential friends. Sadly, Ronald never really got to enjoy the renovation and extension of the house as he died in 1908. Margaret never remarried and lived there until her death 1942. They had no children.

The Italian Room

 

 Mrs Greville inherited her father’s wealth in 1913 and continued the family interest on the board of McEwan’s. She also continued to entertain her friends at Polesden Lacey, becoming an close intimate of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother, as well as other members of the Royal Family. She left jewellery and money to the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret and her will included many bequests to her godchildren and members of her household. One of these was an annuity to her chauffeur who also received her cars.

In the garden

The view through the potting shed window

Enjoying the sweeping view across the grounds

 

We had a wonderful day visiting Polesden Lacey; enjoying the interior of the house as well as the beautiful gardens. The house once boasted 15 bedrooms, nine of which were ensuite, quite unusual even in the early half of the 20^th century; and the gardens are divided into several different areas such as the rose garden hidden away behind walls, the kitchen gardens, the dogs’ cemetery and the lady garden where Mrs. Greville is buried. Her father is buried in the nearby Bookham Churchyard.

We enjoyed refreshments in the newly built visitor area, there is a café in the farm shop as well as a restaurant in the courtyard, all accessible without the need to enter the property.

Polesden Lacey
Mrs Greville's will

Nymans

Nymans is an estate in the Sussex Weald which has been created by three generations of the Messel family. When Ludwig Messel bought the Regency house in 1890, it came with a 600 acre estate. He began creating the garden five years later, appointing James Comber as his Head Gardener. They worked well together, creating several different gardens within the estate, including a Pinetum, a Heather Garden, a Rock Garden, a Wall Garden; bringing exotic plants from around the world that thrived in the micro-climate. Leonard succeeded his father in 1915, continuing the work his father started. The Top Garden was added and Leonard travelled to the Hymalayas and South America, collecting rare specimens to grow in his estate.

Leonard did not like the Regency house, and in the 20s he commissioned a mock medieval manor to be built in its place. He and his wife Maud brought up three children there; Linley, Anne and Oliver.

Then came the Second World War and hot houses could not be heated, and staff went to help the war effort, leaving only a bare minimum to run the place. But the real disaster came in the form of a fire, which virtually destroyed Leonard and Maud's house in 1947. But the garden survived and the house was partially rebuilt. Leonard passed away in 1953 and left the estate to the National Trust. Anne, now Countess of Rosse lived there with her husband and she oversaw the Garden as Garden Director until 1987; she died in 1992. Her rooms, the Messel Family Rooms, are open to the public and NT present them as the family used them in the early 20th century. 1987 brought the destruction of the hurricane to the garden, severely damaging the pinetum and other areas of the garden.

The garden has a romantic atmosphere with its ruins as well as the imaginative layout created by its founder. There are 'rooms' within the garden and far reaching views across the Weald. There are collections of rare plants as well as a 275 acre woodland where visitors can walk to lake and along the conifer avenue.

We visited in July and enjoyed the gardens as well as the few rooms open to the public in the house. The rock garden is being reconstructed after it became overgrown and will be magnificent when ready. Definitely worth revisiting in years to come.