Chilworth Manor, Surrey
- Not to be confused with Chilworth Manor, Hampshire
| Chilworth Manor | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 Chilworth Manor | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ02684786 |
| Location: | 51°13’15"N, -0°31’52"W |
| Village: | Chilworth |
| History | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Private |
Chilworth Manor is a historic country house located midway between Chilworth, Surrey and St Martha's Hill to the north.[1] The manor is a Grade II listed buildding.[2]
History
The estate is recorded in the Domesday Book as a monastery. The monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII and by 1580 was owned by William Morgan. William's son, John was knighted at Cadiz in 1596.
Sir Ernest Randyll, whose family held Chilworth for over a century, married John's daughter. During the time when Chilworth Manor was owned by the Randylls, the South front was built. This is the earliest recognisable part of the Manor - the architect is unknown.
Morgan Randyll[3] was a Member of Parliament for Guildford from 1680 to 1712. As a result of the costs involved in the Elections, the property was sold to Richard Houlditch, a director of the South Sea Company. After losses involved with the 1720 South Sea Bubble, the manor was again sold.
In 1725 the widowed Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, became the owner. She added the Marlborough Wing, developed a tiered garden excavated in the sloping hillside and still known as the "Duchess's Garden". It then passed from her grandson, John Spencer, through inheritances to the Dukes of Northumberland who held it until the 1930s.
In the 1930s, the estate was acquired by Alfred Mildmay, who carried out major renovations to the building.[4]
Sir Lionel and Lady Heald bought the manor in 1945 and lived there for over 60 years. Elected as Member of Parliament for Chertsey in 1950, Sir Lionel was Attorney-General in Churchill's post-war government. Lady Heald worked for many charitable causes including the National Garden Scheme of which she was chairwoman.
Since Lady Heald's death in 2004,[5] extensive restoration work has been carried out and the garden, fittingly, opened as part of the National Garden Scheme.
In literature and popular culture
John Bunyan lived nearby at one time, and local legend has it that he based The Hill of Difficulty in Pilgrims Progress on the path from the manor to St Martha's Chapel.[6]
The house has been featured in a number of films and television series over the years.[7]
Films
- The Passionate Stranger (1957)
- I Don't Speak English (1995)
- Sliding Doors (1998)
- Parting Shots (1998)
- The Wedding Date (2005)
Television
- Just William - Boys will be Boys (1995)
- Daniel Deronda (2002)
- Foyles War - The Funk Hole (2003)
- Agatha Christie's Marple - A Murder is Announced (2005)
- Agatha Christie's Poirot - Taken at the Flood (2006)
References
- ↑ Leaflet published by manor as part of National Garden Scheme open day May 2008.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1188708: Chilworth Manor
- ↑ Members Constituencies Parliaments Surveys. "RANDYLL, Morgan (1649-aft.1735), of Chilworth, Surr.". History of Parliament Online. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/randyll-morgan-1649-1735. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ Passino, Carla. "Chilworth Manor | Fresh on the Market | Houses for sale, properties for sale". Country Life. http://www.countrylife.co.uk/culture/article/63465/Chilworth-Manor.html. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ "Lady Heald". Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1470573/Lady-Heald.html. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ "History of Chilworth Manor, Surrey". http://www.chilworthmanor.net/history/. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ↑ "Most Popular Titles With Location Matching "Chilworth Manor, Chilworth, Guildford, Surrey, England, UK"". https://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Chilworth%20Manor,%20Chilworth,%20Guildford,%20Surrey,%20England,%20UK&ref_=ttloc_loc_2. Retrieved 28 April 2018.