Loseley Park, Surrey
Facts and accounts from this “recycled” house – an unlikely film star.
Contents
Overview
As houses go, Loseley Park is just on the fringes of the greatest. In this way, it’s a reflection on its founding Elizabethan patron Sir William More. Sir William was described by The History of Parliament as ‘the perfect Elizabethan country gentleman’, yet didn’t achieve the same enduring status as contemporaries and friends like Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord Burghley, and the Earls of Leicester and Lincoln.
Loseley is unmistakably a stately home, but unlike the fine and fair Elizabethan marvels of Hardwicke, Longleat or Wollaton; it’s that bit darker, rougher, and more stalwart. In fact, many of its standout features are recycled.
In this sense, Loseley Park has inherited a history even beyond its own 450+ years. For example, much of the sandstone to build it was taken from the ruins of Waverley Abbey, a great 11th century structure some 10 miles away in Farnham that suffered poorly at many intervals in its existence.
Not even the showpiece main hall at Loseley is entirely original. The panelling was reclaimed from Henry VIII’s outrageous lost palace of Nonsuch in Esher, and the smooth carved panels on the minstrels gallery are similarly repurposed from his banqueting tents. Michael More-Molyeaux has repeated the tradition that these very panels were at the field of the cloth of gold; that frenetic and sensational tournament from the summer of 1520.
Loseley was one of the first houses to open to the public (in the modern tourism sense, following the second world war). The owners from the time recall its transformation from ‘grubby, geriatric and unkept’ to something ‘beautiful’, ‘friendly’ and ‘steeped in peace’. It certainly is all three.
It’s eccentric, off-centre feel (the principle exterior features are quite literally this) is probably a result of its extended history within a relatively small estate – but this failure to evolve makes it all the more disarming. In its delightful way, Loseley House realises its motto, found in the drawing room; “Morus tarde moriens, morum cito moriturum”. Roughly, “while its fruit decays quickly, the mulberry tree is slow to die”.
Facts and figures
Owners
Who were Loseley Park’s owners?
Loseley Park was historically owned by the More, then More-Molyneux families. The founder of the current house was Sir William More – a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I.
The Mores became the More-Molyneuxs after an heiress, Margaret More, married Sir Thomas Molyneux before 1690 (when her son was born). Margaret’s son William took the name Sir More Molyneux, with later generations adopting the double-barrelled More-Molyneux surname.
Who owns Loseley Park today?
Loseley Park remains home to the More-Molyneux family into the 21st century. Alexander and Sophia More-Molyneux are the 16th consecutive generation of the family to live there as the pair increasingly take over the running of the estate from Michael and Sarah More-Molyneux (Alexander’s parents).
When was Loseley built?
Loseley was built in 1569 on the site of an older hall that Queen Elizabeth I had considered unsuitable to accommodate a visit from her. She visited three times thereafter, in 1577, ‘83, and ‘91.
A west wing was added approximately 40 years later, forming two thirds of the original plan (according to Historic England). In its time this west wing, hosting its own chapel and a 120ft/37metre long gallery, was the principal part of the house. This west wing had decayed into the 19th century and was demolished approx. 1835. Around this time, another block (the ‘nursery’) was added on the opposite eastern side in a new and less grand style than what it replaced.
Architectural style
Tudor (specifically Elizabethan, in a manor house style).
Architect/ master mason
Main block: unknown; but the designer’s help was requested by Sir Thomas Cecil and the 1st Viscount Montagu for their own building projects.
West wing (dem. 19C): John Thorpe.
Parkland
Loseley’s immediate park of grass, oak, elm, mulberry and other woods is 100 acres according to Get Surrey. This includes Gertrude Jeckyll’s 2.5 acre walled garden.
Estate size
How big is Loseley estate?
Historic estate size (1883)
TBC, but less than <5,000 acres. Expected approximately 1,500 acres/607 hectares.
Present day estate size
1,400 acres/567 hectares.
Even in the 19th century heyday of gentry and the agricultural estates, 1,400 acres, while substantial, was not nationally significant. This relative modesty may go some way to explaining why the Elizabethian mansion has remained intact and almost stylistically as it was when built 450 years ago.
In the 21st century, the estate is kept lucrative thanks to estate buildings, weddings in the great hall and tithe barn, plus numerous events and activities that can leverage the mansion & its 100 acre park.
Interior
Rooms
Speaking to The Guardian in 2007, then-occupant Michael More-Molyneux said he was “not sure he could tell” how many bedrooms Loseley Park house had, and described it as “a little like living above a shop”.
The great hall
The principal room to visit is the great hall. Here, according to Michael More-Molyneaux, the quarter-inch panelling was recycled from Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace.
The smooth but richly-carved mahogany panels on the Minstrel’s gallery above the main hall were also property of Henry VIII’s. This time, taken from his banqueting tents – picture the famous ‘The field of the cloth of gold’ painting. The panelling was alleged to have decorated that very site.
Other carved fruit and foliage woodwork in the great hall comes from Grindling Gibbons, who the V&A museum describe as the most celebrated British woodcarver of the time.
Paintings
Among the larger than life family paintings, Loseley guards one of 22 known portraits of Anne Boleyn. It’s at once easy to miss and unmissable. Painted in 1533 (the year she married Henry VIII), it presents a more genuine, full, young, and all together coy version of the famous queen.
For hundreds of years, Loseley was also home to the earliest known portrait of Edward VI as King (attributed to Hans Holbein according to Country Life), but this was sold in 2004 for a reported £621,250.
What is Loseley Park known for?
What was Loseley Park famous for?
Loseley Park was famous for its rich, recycled built materials: masonry from Waverley Abbey, panelling from Nonsuch Palace and decorative woodwork from Henry VIII’s banqueting tents.
It was also famous for its inhabitants. In addition to Elizabethan founder Sir William More, notable family members included:
- Admiral Sir Robert Henry More-Molyneux GCB (1838–1904), commander of the famous Victorian iron, sail and steam ship, HMS Invincible.
- Major-General George Hand More-Molyneux CB DSO (1851–1903), veteran of at least four British Indian campaigns.
- Brigadier General Francis Cecil More-Molyneux Longbourne CMG DSO (1883 – 1963), a WW1 veteran mentioned a record 13 times in despatches.
Dr Eliza Wheaton’s PHD submission ‘The Mores of Loseley: 1508-1632’ also stresses the achievements of the early women of Loseley, arguing how unrepresentative they were of gentry women of their day.
- Elizabeth More, daughter of Loseley’s founder Sir William More, became Elizabeth I’s lady-in-waiting and so was a royal court presence in her own right.
- Frances More (later Oglander) appears to have ably run her own estate during her husband’s English Civil War imprisonment by parliamentarians. She was also active in petitioning his release from prison.
What is Loseley Park known for now?
Now Loseley Park is known as a film and TV location. It’s featured in some of the most critically-acclaimed and popular period dramas of the 21st century. Its status as an unpretentious second-tier stately home easily accessible from London has undoubtedly helped its case.
Look out for Loseley Park as a feature location in these cult mini-series and films:
- Sense & Sensibility (2008)
- Emma (2009)
- Parade’s End (2012)
- The Crown (from season 4, 2019)
- Belgravia (2020)
- The Gentleman (2020).
Little discoveries
Look out for various treasures in the great hall, especially wood panelling marked with the initials of Henry VIII and Katherine Parr.
One of the three upstairs bedrooms depicts what Simon Jenkins describes as a ‘night hunt’ with boars. According to legend it will come to life if lit with a red fire after dark. Unfortunately, few will have the chance to put this claim to the test.
Outside, the 1897 Christmas Day edition of Country Life magazine describes the still body of the original moat. While surely still there, it’s hard to discern today.
If unable to visit the house itself, be sure to soak up the view of it from the security of the wooded north pond (shown and described in the embedded walks, below).
Finally, family legend has it that an ancient mulberry tree in the immediate vicinity of the house was planted by Queen Elizabeth I. The family tradition is that when the tree falls, so will the family. While property is protected by a cluster of ancestral trees, try to pick this mythic one out.
Visiting Loseley Park
Is Loseley Park open to the public?
The house at Loseley is typically open 10am-4pm, May though August (excluding Fridays). The cost is approx. £10.50 for the house & garden (less for concessions, for the garden only, etc). Check loseleypark.co.uk/visiting-loseley/ before visiting.
Public access footpaths and regular events offer substantial tastes of the grounds without the standard entrance fee. More below.
Visiting for free
Loseley Park hosts events all through the year which, while ticketed, can give complimentary access to the park.
Among the most popular is the Surrey Game and Country fair. This is hosted in the park immediately north of the house and takes place late in September every year.
The best way to visit the park for free is to exploit the public access footpaths. See more below.
Nearby walks
Loseley Park is blessed by public access footpaths that cross the long south drive and run parallel to the north. The sandy paths and holloways of the north downs way are a little further north still. These lead to a remarkably unappreciated gallery and house museum (Watts gallery, Limnerslease) as well as a beautiful traditional pub.
Read on or click to skip to maps.
Tap to open
Loseley Park walk 1 (9.25km/5.75 miles)
This circular walk of 9.25km/5.75 miles is mostly public access footpaths with a few short spells on minor roads. It should take two hours to complete, excluding a visit to Limnerslease house and Watts Gallery.
To begin, park at the Withies Inn pub (Compton). Walk out of The Withies and turn left to the end of the road. Turn right and immediately left, crossing the B3000. Follow the road down and round into Binscombe. Use the marked footpath rather than the minor roads if preferred.
Look for the marked Old Quaker Burial Ground and follow the footpath that passes it on the right (the old burial ground is on the left). This arrives again on the B3000. Turn right and immediately left onto a public footpath that enters the Loseley estate. Follow this until Loseley Park’s long south drive emerges.
Walk down the drive towards Loseley House for a little while, but look for the footpath continuing right. Follow this to a hard driveway. This is the eastern, and other main driveway to the estate. Turn right and follow to the road, then follow the road left. Keep an eye left for the 1399 house.
On this road look for a footpath sign, right, opposite a village notice board. For a pretty pond with a full view of the north side of Loseley House, follow the path in the opposite direction of the sign (left). Reach the far side of the pond, stop for some water and admire the view.
When ready, double back to the road. Then turn left and follow the road.
The road becomes a dark holloway and curves steeply, sharply to the right. Don’t follow this, but go straight on and take the second footpath left onto a sandy track. Follow this sandy path as it emerges to the open fields on the right. This is the North Downs Way.
Follow the North Downs Way through further holloways for approximately 2.25km/1.4 miles until Watts Gallery – an excellent tea stop with or without the artworks. Also open to visitors here is Limnerslease; an artist’s home, once of GF and Mary Watts.
The path that led to Watts has another slightly to the left (or to the right, if facing opposite to the way down). This other path starts as if heading back in the same rough direction. Follow it, with the road behind, and take the second track right through Bummoor Copse onto Polsted Lane. Various unmarked tracks also lead to Polsted Lane so there’s no risk of taking the wrong one. After exiting the copse turn left, then immediately right onto Withies Lane. This lane leads back to the beautiful pub, and completes the walk.
Loseley Park walk 2 (6.5km/4 miles)
This shorter walk gives good views of the north and south faces of Loseley House, and should take about 1hr 20 minutes to complete.
It starts much the same as the longer walk above, but cuts out the North Downs Way and Watts/Limnerslease. Follow the instructions for the longer walk until the far side of the pond with a north view of Loseley House. Instead of turning around, continue down the path (including right angle turns left and right that eventually lead away from the grounds). Follow this until it stops dead at Polsted Lane.
Turn left onto Polsted Lane (the opposite, right, is narrow track footpath), and follow this to a small t-junction. Take the left turn down Withies Lane and back to the pub.
Picnic spot
The best spot to stop and soak up Loseley Park is the pond on the north side. Follow the public footpath to the far side, but be prepared to share with the Egyptian and Barnacle geese, and other wildfowl.
From here the house is slightly elevated, and on a clear day the sheer size of its great rooms are apparent as blue skies pass clean through windows from north to south
Car parking
The free car parking at Loseley has over 200 spaces, excluding overflow areas for big events. If not coming for a paid visit, looking for parking can feel intrusive. If the plan is just to explore the wider area, look for parking at The Withies Inn.
For those just hoping to fly past for a quick snoop, there are a tiny handful of roadside opportunities near the east entrance on Littleton Lane – between the park gate and the 1399 house in Littleton village.
Pubs nearby
The nearest pub to Loseley Park is The Withies Inn. This deceptively higgledy-piggledy grade two listed pub is within walking distance and comes highly recommended. Call ahead to check availability before making the trip.
The Withies is as exceptionally cosey in summer as it is in winter and really deserves a post of its own. The interior’s warmed by open fires, and is chock-full of ancient compact beams, wood panel screens, and carved wooden seating bays. The bar itself is also deep and richly carved wood. It rivals Loseley itself for atmosphere, and feels every bit it’s 16th century core. On the front lawn, a cavernous and lushly-occupied pergola provides discrete, private seating bays for dozens.
Nearest tea room/cafe
In season, Loseley Park has a tea hut near the walled garden. This is a convenient pass for those wanting to capture the details of the house’s exterior from close range without paying for entry.
Otherwise, the cafe on the site at Watts Gallery (see walked embedded and described) is a more furnished and committed location, and stands alone as an eatery with an ample menu.
Places to visit near Loseley Park
Limnerslease house and Watts Gallery are the stand out gems to visit near Loseley Park.
Limnerslease is an artist’s house museum, home of GF – George Frederic – Watts (1817-1904). Watts was a precocious autodidact who produced an immense and varied body of oil paintings over the course of his career. He’s famous for his imaginative and spiritual work, but his soft and romantic portraiture of society beauties is just as magnetic.
135 metres north of Limnerslease, tantalisingly close to Down Lane, are the partially excavated remains of a Roman Villa.
Finally, Guildford and Godalming are two pleasant towns near Loseley also worth a visit for those not in the mood for art. Save Godalming for a summer day, and rent a canoe from Farncombe Boat House to explore the Wey navigations.
Sources
Websites
- Surrey History Centre
- Get Surrey
- Loseley Manuscripts summary at nationalarchives.gov.uk
- stimet.com/genie/
- The Guardian, ‘Here I was born and here I’ll die’
- Historic England
- The History of Parliament
Physical sources
- The Mores of Loseley; PHD by Dr Eliza Emily Wheaton
- England’s thousand best houses, Simon Jenkins
- Country Life Magazine (25th December, 1897)
This was written following an incongruous discovery on the North Downs way.
Lost footpath explorer & country house-snooping cretin. Declining triathlete. Eternal hobbyist.