Peper Harow House
| Peper Harow House | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU93574392 |
| Location: | 51°11’13"N, 0°39’45"W |
| Village: | Peper Harow |
| History | |
| Built From 1765 | |
| For: | George Brodrick, 3rd Viscount Midleton by Sir William Chambers |
| Country house | |
| Palladian | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Converted to flats |
| Website: | www.peperharow.info |
Peper Harow House is grand country house in (and forming the greater part of) Peper Harow in south-western Surrey. It was a seat for the Viscounts Midleton from the Georgian period until after the War. It has since been redeveloped into apartments.
The house was built by Sir William Chambers for George Brodrick, 3rd Viscount Midleton in 1765. Still incomplete when the 3rd Viscount died (in 1765) it was completed by his son after he came of age. The house was owned by the Midleton family until 1944.
The house is a Grade I listed building.[1]
Lancelot 'Capability' Brown landscaped the park in 1762-3, and many fine trees remain from this time. Particularly notable are the Lebanon Cedar. According to 'A History of the County of Surrey' published in 1911, the park and grounds at Peper Harow contained some fine timber at that time, notably the cedars of Lebanon, which were put in as seedlings from pots in 1735.[2]
During the Second World War, the house was used as the headquarters of the Canadian Ordnance Corps, and much planning for the Normandy Landings was carried out here.
In 1944 after the death of Earl Midleton, the Peper Harow Estate and a large part of Shackleford that they owned was sold at auction. The house was sold to the Park House School and the farm sold separately.
From 1970, the Peper Harow Residential Community operated here. The house provided a therapeutic environment, though the presence of severely troubled children was a risk, and the house suffered extensive damage when one of the children set fire to it and the top two floors were gutted and never re-opened.
In 1998 the house was sold to a developer and split into nine flats.[3]
The Peper Harow Residential Community
The Peper Harow residential community was founded in 1970 by Melvyn Rose and established in Peper Harow House. It gained international repute for its pioneering work with disturbed adolescents. For over 20 years, this establishment provided a therapeutic environment for teenagers who had often suffered appalling abuse.
The Peper Harow therapeutic community was set up by Melvyn Rose who had been a house master at the approved school, Park House, that pre-dated the Peper Harow Community. All young people were assigned a personal mentor who developed close relationships with the children in their care. In keeping with the interest in eastern philosophy at the time these were, rather quaintly, known as "Gurus".
The residents and staff together took responsibility for the daily maintenance of the community and all contributed to cooking and cleaning. The young people were considered to be partners in the therapeutic endeavour and there was an expectation that everyone attended the daily community meetings. These meetings were the heart of the community and often young people were able to share and resolve very painful experiences from their past, and the daily difficulties and challenges of sixty adults and children living together could be addressed in a helpful way. Peper Harow was later sold and redeveloped into flats.
Outside links
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1435898: Peper Harow Park
- ↑ A History of the County of Surrey - [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3 Volume 3 : {{{2}}} (Victoria County History)]
- ↑ Peper Harow House
