Surrey Homes | SH25 | November 2016 | Christmas Gifts supplement inside

HOUSE OF THE MONTH
1.
Gloria Victoriana
Isobel Mackay salutes homes from the glory
days of domestic architecture
When we think of the acme of British houses it’s the likes of Pemberley
that spring to mind – or rather, Chatsworth and Lyme Park, which
have both been used as locations for Mr Darcy’s stately home. On a
more modest scale, it would be chocolate box thatched cottages, with the rosesround-the-door
and hollyhocks-in-the-front garden boxes firmly ticked.
But while we are justifiably proud of our legacy of Palladian mansions and
impossibly quaint (and perilously low-ceilinged) village homes, probably the
housing era that best expresses what it means to be British, is Victorian.
The sixty-three years of Queen Vic’s reign spanned not only the pomp of the
Empire but also the radical social changes of industrialisation and the railways.
So a ‘Victorian house’ can mean everything from a solid semi-detached
stuccoed villa to a two-up-two-down Salford slum, or the myriad streets of
terraced houses that multiple generations have lovingly renovated (fireplaces
out, fireplaces in, fireplaces out…).
The era also saw the erection of some of the ugliest gaffs ever to blight our
greensward: vile pomposities of Gothic Revival arrogance, which expressed the
nation’s attitude at the time: we rule, 4 eva, tru, also random rehashes of earlier
styles, such as Mock Tudor.
I know just how ugly those houses are, because I spent my childhood in one.
And though it crouched at the end of a drive of sinister pine trees, all awkward
angles and ill-judged proportions, like a brick and mortar pterodactyl – it was
the most joyous dwelling in which to grow up.
The era that venerated the idea of family, as much as it did colonising foreign
lands and inventing things, certainly knew how to build houses for them to live
in. So if that’s your housing priority, here are some fine examples of familyfriendly
Victorian dwellings currently on the Surrey market.
We apologise for the unedited - and inappropriate - copy that appeared in the ‘House of the
Month’ feature in some of last month’s magazines.
wealdentimes.co.uk
12
1. Lewins
Where? Lewins is set on the outskirts of
the sought-after village of Crockham Hill
just under three miles south of Westerham
(Google Maps TN8 6RB).
What? For sale is the major share of this
lovely Grade II listed mansion, designed
by Scottish architect John Brydon in his
favourite Queen Anne revival style. Built
in the late 1800s, it has retained most of its
period features including soaring corniced
and moulded ceilings, herringbone parquet
flooring, fireplaces and Ionic pilasters.
Downstairs are a superb Great Hall,
drawing room, dining room, morning
room, garden room, kitchen/breakfast room
and cellar.
On the first floor are master bedroom
with ensuite bathroom, guest room with
bathroom and balcony with spectacular
views, three further bedrooms and two
more bathrooms. There is also a further
double bedroom currently divided into a
workshop and storeroom. Outside in 3.5
acres of gardens and grounds are manicured
lawns, a rose garden, paved terraces, an
ornamental fountain and two ponds and
two garages – one a four-bay structure with
a WC and a generous storeroom above.
How much? Lewins is on the market
at £1,750,000 and is with Jackson-Stops in
Oxted. Call 01883 712375 or visit jacksonstops.co.uk