Fitznells Manor is the last surviving

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

in the borough of

Epsom and Ewell Epsom and Ewell () is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England, covering the towns of Epsom and Ewell. The borough lies just outside the administrative boundary of Greater London, but it is entirely within the M25 moto ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England. It is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Development

The property is named after Sir Robert Fitz-Neil whose family held the estate until 1386, but the oldest part of the current building dates back to the house probably built by Sir John Iwardeby in the early 16th century. He built a traditional

timber-framed Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

and it is the

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

wing of this house that survives.EPS (1988) Survey report prepared for Conifercourt Ltd Iwardeby's original house was probably similar to the “Bayleaf” farmhouse at the

Weald and Downland Open Air Museum The Weald and Downland Living Museum (known as the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum until January 2017) is an open-air museum in Singleton, West Sussex, Singleton, West Sussex. The museum is a Charitable organization, registered charity. The ...

. In the early 17th century with the rest of the original house either demolished or otherwise destroyed the remaining solar wing was extended to the west by the addition of a structure with the three distinctive

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. In the late 18th century a large single-storey kitchen area was added to the north elevation including the large chimney. During the 19th century further single-storey extensions were added to the north and a large two-storey extension to the south with a

verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

20th century

Fitznells continued to function as a farmhouse well into the 20th century; when bought by S. E. Parkes (Modern Homes & Estates) in 1927 from the Gadesden family the estate still included of land, farm buildings and five cottages. In 1930 William Batho purchased the house and its immediate grounds. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the house was requisitioned for use as a clothing exchange. The

Surrey College of Music The Surrey College of Music was founded in 1946 by music teacher and educational composer John Longmire (1902-1986) with composer and organist Reginald Jevons (1901-1981). It was based at Fitznells Manor in Ewell, and received support from many of ...

(also known as the Southern Music Training Centre) occupied the house after the war but this closed in 1956 when the lease was terminated. In 1959 the house was bought by Anthony Carter and Vivienne Price, who ran the Fitznells School of Music on the ground floor while living in the floor above. In 1988 the house was bought by Conifercourt Holdings Ltd for use as their head office. The renovation works they undertook transformed the building to its current appearance. The house is currently used as a doctor's surgery.

Restoration

Renovation works were carried out in 1988 including: *Removal of the render concealing the timber frame of the 17th-century front to the house *Replacement of the Victorian entrance porch *Re-opening of the solar that had been sub-divided since the early 17th century *Erection of a reproduction Victorian-style verandah to the rear elevation *Replacement of a later sash window in the solar with an original-sized window Additional buildings to the south of the main house were added on the site at this time.

References

External links

Surrey History: Exploring Surrey's Past

Epsom and Ewell history explorer: Old properties of Ewell and their owners
{{Epsom and Ewell Grade II listed buildings in Surrey Grade II listed houses Country houses in Surrey Epsom and Ewell