 Loseley Park
Following Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, many of the abbeys
became convenient quarries for local building projects. Waverley Abbey
was no exception, and much of the stone used to create Sir William More's
house at Loseley in the 1560s came from this rich source. His father
had purchased the estate in 1508, continuing to live in the medieval
house already present until his death in 1549, but Sir William planned
a grand new home fit for entertaining royalty. Built from the mellowed
monastic stone, and other local materials, Loseley Park was a substantial
house, comfortably fitted out, that adequately symbolised the status
of a Queen's most trusted adviser.
Nearly 500 years later and Loseley Park is still the ancestral home of the More
family. A fine Elizabethan mansion, little changed structurally from the
time it was built, the house contains many interesting artefacts collected
through the different generations who have made it their home. From Sir
William's time, his impressive wood-panelled library with an elaborately
carved overmantel bearing the arms and initials of Elizabeth I in honour
of her many visits to Loseley Park. Another frequent royal visitor was
King James I, who gifted a painting of himself and Queen Anne to commemorate
the visits. In 1932 Queen Mary visited Mrs Gwendoline More-Molyneux and
her husband at Loseley.
At the beginning of the 17th
century an additional wing was added to the house, providing a chapel,
a long picture gallery, and an indoor riding school, but this was subsequently
demolished in 1820 having fallen into a poor state of repair. In 1877
William More-Molyneux extended the south side of the house with a Nursery
wing, despite the fact that he never married. Perhaps the most fascinating
room at Loseley Park on public display is the Drawing Room, with rich oak-panelling,
a gilded ceiling and frieze, and a magnificently carved chalk chimneypiece.
Today the estate covers some 1400 acres, and much of
it is given over to agricultural use, which forms the basis of a thriving
family business. Although the delicious Loseley Jersey Ice Cream is no longer
made here, the famous Jersey Herd, established in 1916, is still very much a part
of life on the Estate and is now one of the largest Jersey herds in the UK.
The grounds and gardens are one of Loseley Park's major
attractions. The two and a half acre walled garden has been redeveloped
and restored over the past few years to include an award-winning rose garden,
a herb garden, fruit and flower garden, fountain garden and, most recently,t he addition is an
organic vegetable garden. |
