| SURREY |
| Clandon Park |
On A247, 3 miles east of
Guildford |
The tall pilasters on the
south front of this fine Georgian house and the Venetian windows on the
ground floor were build about 1733. Inside are impressive rooms, with the
magnificent Marble Hall serving as an overture. Two chimneypieces have
relief tableaux in marble depicting sacrificial scenes, and on the ceiling
the plaster figures cling to the ornate frieze. Clandon Park also houses
collections of porcelain, furniture, jade, metalwork and textiles. |
| Farnham Castle |
On A287, 0.5 miles north of Farnham |
This unusual Normal castle has a wall around
the mound, and the ground within the walls is 37ft higher than the
outside. Only the foundations of the square keep that stood on the mound
remain, and in the centre is a deep well. The approach to the castle is
through a 17th century gateway, and across a courtyard steps lead up to
the great brick tower, built in the 15th century. |
| Guildford Cathedral |
Off A31, o.5 miles west of
Guildford |
The lovely red-brick
Cathedral was designed by Sir Edward Maufe and consecrated in 1961. The
traditions of earlier cathedrals are echoed in the long nave with its
arches of honey-coloured stone, the tall lancet windows and the marble
floor. A brass stag set in the floor beneath the tower marks the top of
Stag Hill around which the building is designed. |
| Guildford Castle |
Guildford |
The centre of Guildford is dominated by the
ruined keep of its castle, a rare example of Norman and early Plantagenet
work since it was never expanded in later periods. It stands on a mound
and was built to overawe the town; how well it did so can be seen from the
top of the spiral staircase in the north-west corner. |
| Hatchlands |
Off A246, 2 miles east of
Guildford |
Hatchlands is a friendly
looking house made of red brick. It was built in 1758 by Admiral Boscawen.
Only the ground floor rooms are open to the public, but in two of them,
the drawing room and library, can be seen the earliest work of the
architect Robert Adam. In both rooms the wall panels, ceilings, fireplaces
and chimneypieces are exquisite examples of Adams. In contrast the Music
Room, added in 1903, is very much Edwardian. |
| Loseley House |
On B3000, 2 miles south of Guildford |
This is Elizabethan building at its best -
all gables, tall chimneys, stone mullioned windows and mellowed stonework.
The house has close royal connections and the panelling in the Great Hall
and a marble table came from Henry VIII's Nonsuch Palace. The bedrooms are
mostly furnished with 16th and 17th century furniture. A room used by
James I has a four-poster bed, 17th century wall tapestries and a carpet
with a Tudor rose. |
| Polesden Lacey |
Off A246, 1.5 miles south
of Great Bookham |
This Regency-style house,
built in 1824, has all the embellishments of its period, but behind the
colonnade and yellow-washed walls is a different world. Here the
atmosphere is strongly Edwardian. The house have been lavishly furnished
and decorated to impress its many royal guests. |
