17th Century Country Manor With Walled Gardens in South East England
Possingworth Manor is set within 17 acres of scenic grounds near the village Waldron in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Grade II* listed estate dates back to 1281, with the present day manor built in 1657.
Over the centuries, Possingworth Manor has welcomed a procession of interesting figures through its doors, and a bit of scandal.
In 1918, the estate was leased by Alice Keppel, the intriguing mistress of King Edward VII and great grandmother of Queen Camilla, for her daughter Violet Trefusis and her new husband Denys Robert Trefusis.
Both the lease of Possingworth Manor and the marriage were arranged by Keppel in an effort to quell rumours about Violet’s ongoing scandalous affair with writer and garden designer Vita Sackville-West, Vita Sackville-West.
Virginia Woolf, who visited West often at Possington, is said to have based the character of Princess Sasha in her novel “Orlando: A Biography” on Violet.
In the 1920s. Lord Strathcona bought the home and hired George Trollope and Colls LTD to renovate the manor, most known for their work on Claridge’s Hotel in London.
The Jacobean country home offers a total of 11 bedrooms across 8754 square feet of living space with fine period detailing throughout.
The ground floor offers three distinct reception spaces adorned with open fireplaces and fine wooden paneling, including a 45 '5 x 18'9 drawing room with a magnificent hearth.
Just off the dining room, the kitchen has an oil-fired Nobel Range cooker and space for a breakfast table. It opens to a two-bedroom annex as well as onto a covered outdoor pool and terrace area.
Positioned for far-reaching views across the garden to pretty pasture and woodland, another south-east facing stone terrace provides a picturesque vista.
The sprawling grounds showcase an impressive garden infrastructure recently restored, featuring sunken paved areas, a walled ha-ha, and a magical walled garden with plenty of fruit trees, including apples, pears, plums, damsons, and quince.
There’s also a revolving summer house, and a detached two-storey barn with a garage, workshop, studio and store spaces.
All photos belong to the listing agency.
