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Little Thakeham is an
Arts and Crafts style
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...
, Grade I
listed private house in the parish of
Thakeham
Thakeham is a village and civil parish located north of the South Downs in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village is situated approximately 12 miles south-west of Horsham and 11 miles north of the sea-side town of Worthing ...
, near the village of
Storrington
Storrington is a town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Storrington and Sullington, in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. Storrington lies at the foot of the north side of the South Downs. it had a population of around 6 ...
, in the
Horsham
Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
district of West Sussex, England.
Designed by architect
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
in 1902,
the house was one of the first in which Lutyens mixed
neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...
into his previously
vernacular
Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
style. The exterior of the house is vernacular, but the interior has classical features, particularly in its large hall.
The gardens, also designed by Lutyens, are Grade II* listed in the
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
{{R from move ...
{{R from move ...
.
House
Lutyens' client was Ernest Blackburn, formerly the headmaster of a preparatory school in
Southborough, Kent, who had retired on receiving an inheritance from his father, a wine merchant. His main interest was gardening. Over 1901–2 he made a series of land purchases, creating an estate of , and devoted himself to landscaping it. He commissioned the architect F. Hatchard Smith to build a house on the site, but by April 1902 Blackburn was dissatisfied with the half-built brick villa. He brought in Lutyens, who advised him to demolish it, which he did. Hatchard Smith accused Lutyens of poaching his client, and the dispute was played out in the pages of ''Building News'', which supported Hatchard Smith, and ''
Country Life'', which supported Lutyens.
Completed in 1903, the 12,480 sf house is considered one of Lutyens' best private houses. Laid out in an H-shape using locally mined coarse-stone, the exterior has weathered quickly to give the house a 16th-century,
Cotswold
The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the be ...
s manor look. It consists of two storeys plus an attic, with two wings. The central bar of the H runs west to east, and contains the south-facing hall. Further to the east, continuing the line of the central bar, is an additional wing, originally the
service
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...
quarters,
[ which contains the only remaining walls of Hatchard Smith's demolished villa.][ The south, garden front of the house has four ]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, one on each wing and two in the middle; at the centre is a two-storey, mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
ed, polygonal bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. A bow window is a form of bay with a curve rather than angular facets; an oriel window is a bay window that does not touch the g ...
. The north, entrance front of the house has a central porch giving access to an east–west corridor, south of which are the main staircase and the two-storey hall, separated by a stone screen. The hall is lit through a classical arch by the two-storey bay window. The ground floor of the hall is lined with classically decorated stonework, with plaster walls above, and is overlooked by wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...
balconies.[
]
Gardens
Southwards from the house's garden front there are three descending terrace garden
A terrace garden is a garden with a raised flat paved or gravelled section overlooking a prospect. A raised terrace keeps a house dry and provides a transition between the hardscape and the softscape.
History Persia
Since a level site is ...
s, supported by retaining wall
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...
s. The top terrace contains a rose garden. To its east are a lily pool and water garden. The third terrace is the main lawn. On its western side, a large, oak-beamed pergola
A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...
on a raised bank projects out from the second terrace.[ There is also a Grade II listed garden house, originally a ]coach house
A ''carriage house'', also called a ''remise'' or ''coach house'', is a term used in North America to describe an outbuilding that was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and their related tack. Carriage houses were often two st ...
with stables, designed by Lutyens.[
]
Gallery
Little Thakeham South Front and Pergola Lutyens Houses and Gardens 1913 Page150.jpg, South front and pergola
A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...
, (Weaver, 1913)
Little Thakeham House Plans Lutyens Houses and Gardens 1913 Page148.jpg, House plans, (South front at top)[
Little Thakeham the Hall and Screen Lutyens Houses and Gardens 1913 Page148.jpg, The neoclassical hall][
Little Thakeham Lily Pool Lutyens Houses and Gardens 1913 Page152.jpg, Lily pool][
]
References
External links
*
''Country Life'' photo galleryImages at Lavishlocations.comFlickr.com photo album
{{coord, 50, 55, 49, N, 0, 25, 24, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Country houses in West Sussex
Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
Grade I listed houses
Works of Edwin Lutyens in England
Arts and Crafts architecture in England
Houses completed in 1903
Arts and Crafts gardens
Grade II* listed parks and gardens in West Sussex