Gatton’ – Past and Present Telephone: 01622 221525 Or Visit Visit Or 221525 01622 Telephone

Illustration: Chris Forsey. Design and Print: FdK Design Consultants Design FdK Print: and Design Forsey. Chris Illustration:

‘Discover Gatton’ – Past and Present Telephone: 01622 221525 or visit www.nationaltrail.co.uk/northdowns visit or 221525 01622 Telephone:

North Downs Way National Trail National Way Downs North

Telephone: 01372 220653 or visit www.surreyhills.org visit or 220653 01372 Telephone: Small populations with very few voters were easily corruptible Formal gardens & lakes Extracts from the AONB Hills Surrey e Th by the local landowner. The ability to have an influence on

The picturesque Hop Garden Pond, Engine Pond, Serpentine Parliament had the potential to be worth a great deal of money. 1888 sales particulars 054 649 01737 ce: Ofﬁ Foundation

This often meant rotten boroughs were valued far in excess of and Main Lake, together with the Japanese, Rock and Walled of Gatton Ltd Trust Gatton The their material worth. In 1830 Gatton was bought for the 21 year Gardens are hidden treasures, largely unknown within the

Photography: Andrew Wright, NT grounds of The Royal Alexandra and Albert School 4584000 0870 Membership: Trust National

old Lord Monson by his trustees for the sum of £100,000. This 453401 01372 ce: Ofﬁ Regional East South

It absolutely stands unrivalled for its 220643 01372 ce: Ofﬁ Downs North was a very bad time to pay a premium for a rotten borough Trust National The To discover these, you will need to visit on an Open Day (first “

as the reformation of constituencies was on the agenda beauty ….Scenery of this special character is not

Sunday of the month from February to October between 1pm �� within weeks. Monson was one of a few “stalwart peers” details

and 5pm) when you will be able to walk around the lakes and equalled in the entire Kingdom…..for salubrity,

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who persisted in opposing the Reform Bill. Despite Monson’s ��

ponds, visit the impressive Dry Arch and Town Hall and finish dry soil, and bright, bracing air, the district is Contact

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opposition, the 1832 Reform Act was passed and Gatton �

with tea in Gatton Hall. Entry is via the main entrance to the School. ��

proverbial, and ranks among the most healthful ��

lost its parliamentary status, ending centuries of corruptive ��

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The gardens and grounds are being restored by the Gatton � �

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misrepresentation. �� spots in England. �

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continue this work. �

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Jeremiah Colman …..many miles of enchanting walks ��

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The last private owners of the Gatton Estate “ ��

�� The royal alexander and rides, each one seeming to outvie the other, ��

were the Colman Family. Sir Jeremiah

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�� and albert school in beauteous glimpses they reveal the exquisite �� What is a parkland? Colman bought Gatton in 1888 following the

success of the Colman’s family businesses, The School, which has its origins in the 1700’s as the Orphan scenery around… Cycle network route, which runs through Reigate town centre. town Reigate through runs which route, network Cycle

Working School, came to the site in 1947 and is the second ” 6

Gatton Park is located approximately 2 miles north of a National National a of north miles 2 approximately located is Park Gatton

the most famous of which was Colman’s 

The easiest way to understand designed parkland is as a piece of art. Nature B Nearest stations are Reigate and Earlswood. and Reigate are stations Nearest Mustard. largest state boarding school in the UK. It has some 750

….Wingate Hill, in full splendour pupils (aged 7 to 18) of which 400 are boarders. The remainder Lane. Wray into left turning and round-a-bout 8 Junction main the

is manipulated to create large open spaces that are distinct from the general In common with “ around going by dirrection other the from approach to need will You

are day boarders (being entitled to arrive for breakfast in the of the enchanting scene stretching away over Park previous owners, direction. Reigate the from approaching when lane Wray to access

agricultural landscape. morning and stay until their peers go to bed).

Colman made alterations and additions and Lake, Wood and Water, till the varied outline direct no is there note Please M25. the of 8 Junction to adjacent

l Please park at Wray Lane car park at the top of Reigate hill hill Reigate of top the at park car Lane Wray at park Please to his estate, notably the Japanese of the distant hills seems to fade away in one vast there get to How Historically, deer would have been enclosed Gatton – “A Very Garden and the Pulhamite Rock The Stone Circle in the first parklands. Over the centuries Placed on site by the Jerusalem Trust to commemorate the expanse of beauteous and almost illimitable space.

parklands evolved into formal landscapes, Rascally Spot of Earth” Garden. He had a real passion for ” property. interesting most this of history diverse the into glimpse turn of the millennium, each stone represents a 200 year time a offers also It Brown. ‘Capability’ Lancelot by designed parkland,

orchids and grew many fine specimens 

most commonly surrounding a mansion ..... So described by the radical William Cobbett in 1823, just period and is inscribed with quotes and poems of its respective era. great this through walk circular a along you guide will et leaﬂ This in specially constructed greenhouses. WALK CIRCULAR house and garden. They are designed to a few years before the 1832 Reform Act was passed, which The views at Gatton can hardly be impress at various levels; the natural beauty, finally put an end to centuries of Parliamentary corruption. Colman regularly exhibited his orchids imagined,“ even by the most enthusiastic admirer of the splendour and not least to display the at the premier horticultural shows of the day and won many A ‘rotten borough’ was usually the product of a small town Nature’s charms, and while gazing on scenes of such wealth of the owner. medals. Orchids from Gatton were sent as far afield as New losing its voters. Prosperous market towns of the middle ages exquisite beauty, with no sound to disturb the sweet Zealand and Ceylon to help establish new centres of orchid In common with most art, various parkland designs had the right to elect a member of the House of Commons. development. repose, except, perhaps, the lovely melodies of the fell in and out of fashion. The last big fashion was the Over the decades and centuries, some towns grew whilst songsters of the woods, it is diff icult to imagine that English Landscape Movement of the eighteenth century. others shrank to be the size of small villages or hamlets. The DISCOVER It was a ‘must have’ for anyone with standing, wealth constituencies did not change with the shifts of population. This the world’s great centre of attraction, whether for and the desire to impress. One of the leading landscape meant tiny hamlets like Gatton were electing two members of business or pleasure, is within an hours reach. architects of this movement was Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown parliament when larger towns like Birmingham and Manchester ” (1716-1783), so called because he claimed to see great had no representation. Such hamlets were known as ‘pocket Gatton St Andrew’s Church capability within a landscape. boroughs’ or ‘rotten boroughs’. North Downs Way It has been a focal point of Christianity for over 900 years and Brown applied his skills to many Gatton was given Parliamentary status in 1450. Apart from Oliver the present building dates from the 16th century. There has This long distance path which runs through Gatton Park parklands throughout the land during Cromwell’s brief intervention in the 1650’s, Gatton elected two been a church on this site since at least Norman times. is one of fifteen National Trails in England and Wales – all the mid eighteenth century and members of parliament from 1451 until the 1832 Reform Act. of which provide superb walking experiences amongst the Gatton was ranked amongst the The fifth Lord Monson and his architect E Webb carried finest landscapes. For further information please visit Gatton’s so called Town Hall, built in 1765 by Sir George top quarter of his grandest designs. out restoration works to the church in 1834. The result www.nationaltrail.co.uk/northdowns Colebrooke, was used to announce the election results, is a magnificent and richly furnished probably a foregone conclusion on the majority of occasions. interior, similar to an Oxford LANCELOT In the mid 1900’s, or Cambridge College chapel. Surrey Hills AONB Pevsner, the ‘CAPABILITY’ BROWN The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) great architectural As you walk the Discover Gatton route you will see how is one of 36 nationally protected landscapes in England. The historian, described Brown’s work, which is over 200 years old, still has the Surrey Hills stretch across a quarter of the county of Surrey and the tiny classically In 1934 disaster struck. A fire gutted the famous house and ability to impress to this day. From the carriage road the include the chalk slopes of the North Downs from Farnham in designed building ruined many of its irreplaceable treasures. The house was visitor receives tantalising glimpses of the landscape the west to Oxted in the east and extend south to the deeply as “one of the best rebuilt, but sadly not to its former splendour. Sir Jeremiah through tree framed vistas. Further round the walk wider wooded Greensand Hills in Haslemere and Limpsfield. architectural and continued to live on the estate until his death in 1942. sweeping views open up over uninterrupted grassland which political jokes in Lady Colman moved into a cottage on the estate. Their son The Surrey Hills AONB Partnership was established in 1998 is punctuated by clumps of trees planted on prominent England”. who had left some years earlier never returned and the estate to protect the beauty of the Surrey Hills for the safe use and mounds to exaggerate their size. A series of ponds wind was sold in 1948. enjoyment of all. For further information on the Surrey Hills visit their way down the valley to the large lake. Accessible on Gatton Trust Open Days www.surreyhills.org

Gatton park Timeline “A Very Rascally Planting of the l The Colman family bundle planted oak l Banstead l Athlstald,Ethelwald l Hamo de Gatton l Simon de Northwode l William Weston l Henry VI gives l Town Hall built by l Reform Act, Gatton of Colman’s Mustard l Main part of house SURREY Spot of Earth” or Aethelwald son of Saxon (son of Herfrid) (m. Elizabeth de Gatton) l The Crown fame take ownership Woldingham (m. Joan Leigh) Tymperley license Copley family Thomas Turgis and l James Colebrooke Sir George Colebrooke ceases to be a destroyed by ﬁ re ‘Duke’ Aelfred, Earl Leofwine and decendants l l Leatherhead Caterham to impark Manor take residence descendents ‘Rotten Borough’ l The Bur pit and rebuilt Richard de Northwode Park landscaped by of Gatton l l Robert Ladbrooke re-opened for mining The National Trust Guildford Limpsfield l Hefried or Herfrey and Thomas Turgis, son l William Newland ‘Capability’ Brown l The Japanese Garden l Gatton Park descendents (tenants and successors William Mayne, l Frederick-John Monson, Gatton stone l Elizabeth de Gatton l Joan Leigh Gatton given John Weston l John Petrie is created Oxted William Cobbett 1763-1835 under Odo’s ownership) l l l 5th Baron Farnham (sister) John Tymperley authority to Gatton Stone Baron Newhaven Royal Alexandra The Gatton Reigate l Nicholas Hering l (m. Marey Copley) l Sir George Colebrooke l 7th Lord Monson l l Dorking return 2 MPs mining ﬁ rst recorded l Percy/Graham family l Sir Mark Wood l 6th Lord Monson and Albert School Education Trust Godalming l Odo,Bishop of Bayeux l A deer park existed (m. Agnes de Northwode) l St Andrews Church Sir Jeremiah Colman Frensham in the Bur Pit l Surrey Hills

c1066- c1086- 1301- 1365- 1379- c1446- 1451- 1460- 1798- 1830- 1888- 1910- c880 1227 1278 1301 1382 1449 1500- c1510- 1643 1654- c1700 1704- 1751- 1761- 1762- 1765 1774- c1794- 1796 1832 1841 1855 1888 1934 1948 1952 1955 1996 Cranleigh 1088 1301 1365 1379 1382 1460 1832 1540 Present 1643 1704 1751 1761 1774 1768 c1794 1805 1830 1841 1942 1911 Haslemere   DISCOVER GATTON – A TWO MILE CIRCULAR WALK Please wear sturdy footwear and dress appropriately for the weather. 5 The Old Town Hall Tower Lodge 1 To enter Gatton Park use the footpath marked 8 At this junction post eight points you to the with the National Trust sign, located opposite the right, past the highest point in the park. Wray Lane Car Park entrance. Within a couple of Continue on for another ten minutes, passing minutes walking you will see the first way marker Wingate Hill which offers a last opportunity to post. Head in the direction of the ‘Discover look back on the parkland you have just walked 6 Gatton’ arrow, down the gentle slope. You are through. This is also a good place to try and St. Andrew’s Church now following the park’s original carriage drive. spot the spire of St Andrew’s church and Gatton Hall nestling in the trees. Post nine Pilgrims Way 2 After another couple of minutes you will reach is to be found at the top of this slope. TheThe MillenniumMillennium SStonestones the second post; follow the arrow, taking the left Pheasantry Gatton Hall fork in the track. 9 Follow post nine’s arrow to the right and within five minutes you will have 3 Very shortly after the second post you will find completed the circuit back to post the third post situated above a viewpoint giving thre e and the first viewpoint. Hop Garden Pond a first glimpse of this historic parkland. 4 At post three follow the arrow T h e 4 As you continue along the old carriage road left taking you the short B u r p i t you will see vistas cut out the wood which are distance back to H a l f m o o n designed to offer tantalising glimpses of the The Bundle Wray Lane Car Park. C l u m p magnificent open parkland. Within another Planted Oak 5-10 minutes you will find the fourth way-marker post by a lone yew tree that will point you in the Engine right direction. Great Buck Wood Pond GATTONG A T T O N PPARKA R K The Serpentine

THE NORTH DOWNS WAY

WRAY LANE 1 CAR PARK 3 P 2 Serpentine Wood Upper Lodge

5 You will arrive at the end of this section of track T h e in another 5 -10 minutes when you will see Tower L a k e Lodge on your left. These distinctive buildings mark another of the entrances into the park and are built WINGATE HILL from Gatton Stone. You will find the fifth post in the 9 centre of the track guiding you to turn right.

6 Along the next section of the walk you will see one Old Chalk Old Chalk Pit of the far-reaching views across the parkland which Pit includes the remnants of the bundle planted oak tree. As you proceed a little further you will see the millennium stones. You are welcome to enter GREENCLUMP HILL the field and read the carved inscriptions. More N 7 information relating to this stone circle is on the back of the leaflet. Within a few minutes of leaving the stone circle Nutwood Lodge you will find your sixth post pointing you to the  8 right, down the hill towards the Hop Garden Pond. W E This section of the walk takes you through the centre of the open parkland with fine views in most directions. Look to your left to see Gatton Hall and the lake. Key

7 After 10 - 15 minutes you will have crossed the Nut Wood

 National Trust Car Park open parkland and will re-enter the woodland P fringe. At this point look out for post seven which S 1 points you sharp right up the steep bank into Way Markers Nut Wood. As you reach the top of this track you will see a fine view point giving perhaps the best view of the Main Lake over the tops of the trees bordering the Serpentine. The track eventually levels out and after another 10 -15 minutes you  will arrive at a junction of paths. 