POLESDEN LACEY HOUSE TOUR - TUESDAY 17th. MARCH 2009
Paul Dearn the senior Conservator of the house offered to give members of Probus Club of Ewell a private guided tour of the house this was gratefully received by 43 members and guests who on a beautiful summers day assembled under the watchful eyes of John and Ann Mills and Bernard Reeves who are all National Trust volunteers at Polesden and had arranged this visit. Unfortunately Paul Dean could not be present due to an National Trust security problem, but in his place we had two excellent guides who gave each section of the party extensive and detailed knowledge of the house but most of all the colourful life of Mrs Grenville, at the time reported to be the riches woman in Great Britain and a socialite rubbing shoulders with royalty.
Our guides outlined the history in a brief and rapid summary as follows: Polesden Lacey, a 1400 acre estate, is situated on the North Downs and commands some of the finest views in Surrey. The Edwardian Garden extends to 30 acres with 10 acres of lawns and elegant grass terraces, including a walled rose garden, summer border and winter displays.
There has been a house on this site since at least 1336. The name 'Polesden' is Saxon and belonged to the earliest recorded owner Herbert de Polesden, who was selling land here in 1198. The 'Lacey' suffix probably derives from the family of John Lacy, who owned Polesden in 1387-93, but it is first described as 'Pollisdon Lacy' only in 1562. In 1630 Anthony Rous acquired the estate and shortly afterwards completely rebuilt the medieval house.
Polesden has been owned by a number of people, who made many alterations and additions to the property. The most famous owner was the poet and playwright Sheridan, who purchased the house in 1804. Sheridan adored Polesden, rejoicing in his role as a country squire, giving lavish entertainments to his friends and the local populace. He regarded Polesden as a haven from the hurly-burly of his life in London, where he shone in Parliament as an orator and at Drury Lane as a dramatist and theatre manager.
Polesden Lacey was then lived in by two further owners until purchased by Mrs Greville, a legendary Edwardian hostess, and her husband in 1906. The house was converted by the architects of the newly built Ritz Hotel. Mrs Greville was most famous as a collector of royalties and her friendship with Edward VII (who thought her 'gift of hospitality' amounted to 'positive genius') inaugurated a lifelong devotion to the House of Windsor. She was especially fond of Queen Mary (consort of George V) and of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, part of whose honeymoon was spent at Polesden in 1923, and whom the childless Mrs Greville loved like a daughter. Mrs Greville was adored by her friends and feared by her rivals.
Mrs Greville bequeathed Polesden Lacey to the National Trust in 1942 in memory of her father, William McEwan, an Edinburgh brewing millionaire and philanthropist.
After Mrs Greville's death, Polesden was rearranged for public opening, but in the process many of the secondary and almost all of the bedroom furnishings were sold in 1943. There was a serious fire in 1960, and although nothing was lost, the original decoration of several rooms was damaged and had to be replaced. In 1995, after extensive research, the Trust embarked upon the restoration and rearrangements of the principal rooms, in order to make their original style and luxury more evident, indeed today in 2009 one of the guest bedrooms over the portico almost completely renovated was on display for the first time.
As we progressed through the rooms open to the public, namely the Gold Room (fit for a Maharaja!), the Library, exquisite Dining Room set with splendorous silver and porcelain for a meal, Sitting Room, Tea Room (if you were a few minutes late for the five o'clock tea you were locked out, including the King!!), the Reception Hall (also used for Dancing), Billiards Room and the Gallery where we as mortals were allowed to sit to soak up the Country House atmosphere!
In this tour we were enthralled with countless details of pictures and priceless furniture, porcelain, silver, glassware, the guides must be congratulated on their depth of knowledge in terms of origins of countless artefacts with dates, painters and authors etc, for those requiring further knowledge the National Trust website on Polesden is a must, you can see examples of the House contents that we as a party were banned from photographing.
A great visit which was followed by an excellent meal and our thanks are due to John Mills who fronted and arranged this visit, Thanks John
Below are a few shots of the members and guest enjoying the following meal.
