339:, bellows that blasted air into the furnace, which was called Gosden furnace. Such a furnace would typically operate non-stop day and night and so it required a great deal of water to keep it going. A string of ponds was therefore created through a series of dams in the long, steep-sided valley to act as reservoirs; these would be drained as necessary to keep the flow of water going over the wheel. With the demise of the Wealden iron industry in the 17th century Gosden furnace was silenced, leaving behind the ponds, which later became a picturesque feature of the gardens, and allowing the woodlands to regenerate.
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385:, who erected a house called St Leonard's Lodge on the site of the present mansion. The Beauclerk family were responsible for the first ornamental plantings at Leonardslee. By the early 1800s the denudations of the iron works had been replaced by more than a century of natural regeneration. The estate was now lightly wooded, mainly with oak, beech and chestnut, with some ancient pines and larch plantations, and in which there were a series of seven man-made ponds, some of which once provided power for the
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The last Loder to own
Leonardslee, Robin Loder, made four new lakes and new plantings on the east side of the valley. In February 2010 it was announced that estate had been sold by the Loder family to an international businessman and that, after the 2010 April to June season, the gardens would be
284:, England. The Grade I listed garden is particularly significant for its spring displays of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells, with the flowering season reaching its peak in May. The estate includes a 19th-century
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and many species of trees. Loder became interested in plant hybridisation and developed new rhodendron varieties, the Loderi hybrids. He planted a large amount of exotic flora in a short time and also introduced
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for agriculture and so it remained as a natural woodland with wild animals and deer for the chase. There was extensive felling of the forest trees in the 16th and 17th centuries when the
495:. A plan was developed to provide restoration and maintenance over a decade. Overgrown trees were removed and lakes, glasshouses, infrastructure and buildings repaired.
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closed to the public. The gardens closed on 30 June 2010. Before closure, Leonardslee also contained a collection of
Victorian motor cars, a miniature exhibition called
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In 1852 the estate was sold to the
Hubbard family, specifically William Hubbard, who commissioned the present Italianate style house, completed in 1855, designed by
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was dug from surface pits. A wood to the south of
Leonardslee is still called Minepit Wood and its surface is pockmarked with ancient ore diggings.
335:, which was used to reduce the ore and to generate heat to smelt it. The valley streams were dammed to provide a head of water that powered, via a
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The house and gardens were acquired in July 2017 by the
Benguela Collection Hospitality Group, owned by the South African-based entrepreneur
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In 1973 the main house, built in 19th-century
Italianate style, and in 1980 a contemporary octagonal lodge to its north-west, were listed
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456:, later used to shelter wallabies. It was planted initially with ferns and alpines organised by Loder. The
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It reopened to the public in April 2019. The
Benguela Collection Hospitality Group is also the owner of
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as well as planting the first camellias, rhododendeons and magnolias that suited the acidic soil.
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389:. The gardens were established in 1801 and covered 200 acres 200 acres (81 hectares) in a steep
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valley. Charles
Beauclerk included an American garden with conifers, palms and giant sequoia
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purchased the estate from his parents-in-law in 1889 and planted extensive collections of
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Parts of the gardens were used for filming several exterior scenes of the 1947 film
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A rock garden near the house was built c.1890 by the
Victorian landscaping company
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rockery is among the most intact remaining in the UK in the twentyfirst century.
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for their architectural merit. The garden is listed Grade I on the
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Slade, Naomi (July 2022). "Starting a colourful new chapter".
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349:, and from him they were passed down to the Aldridge family.
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granted the lands of St
Leonard's Forest to his physician,
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Country house and garden in Lower Beeding, West Sussex, UK
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house and lodge as well as an intact Pulhamite rockery.
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A portion of the Aldridge estate was sold in 1801 to
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805:Grade I listed parks and gardens in West Sussex
186:National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
697:"Leonardslee gardens is closing to the public"
623:"Lodge to North West of Leonardslee (1027011)"
469:, which is set in the extreme north of India.
711:"Famed gardens set to re-open to the public"
519:Gosden Furnace, Lower Beeding, WIRG database
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500:Mannings Heath Golf Club & Wine Estate
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406:, the first Professor of Architecture at
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331:Most of the forest trees were felled for
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502:in Horsham, 3 miles (5 km) away.
478:Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
308:. In the Middle Ages the soil was too
296:The name Leonardslee derives from the
247:Location of Leonardslee in West Sussex
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135:Benguela Collection Hospitality Group
304:, one of the ancient forests of the
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815:Italianate architecture in England
658:National Heritage List for England
628:National Heritage List for England
598:National Heritage List for England
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653:"Leonardslee (garden) (1000159)"
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795:Country houses in West Sussex
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780:Leonardslee Gardens website
678:Sussex and Normandy Gardens
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533:James Pulham at Leonardslee
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396:Sequoiadendron giganteum
383:Charles George Beauclerk
266:English landscape garden
749:, Retrieved 20 May 2019
593:"Leonardslee (1027010)"
486:Beyond the Doll's House
810:Grade II listed houses
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353:19th century and later
122:Architectural style(s)
387:Wealden iron industry
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262:English country house
771:at Wikimedia Commons
450:James Pulham and Son
775:Benguela Collection
747:Benguela Collection
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715:wscountytimes.co.uk
302:St Leonard's Forest
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683:2008-06-06 at the
538:2009-03-27 at the
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347:Sir Edward Greaves
209:Reference no.
170:Reference no.
82:51.0198°N 0.2600°W
767:Media related to
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769:Leonardslee
337:water wheel
322:cannonballs
282:West Sussex
258:Leonardslee
204:1 June 1984
196:Leonardslee
157:Leonardslee
116:West Sussex
85: /
61:Coordinates
24:Leonardslee
789:Categories
664:5 February
634:5 February
604:5 February
560:The Garden
506:References
306:High Weald
201:Designated
162:Designated
148:– Grade II
126:Italianate
70:51°01′11″N
458:Pulhamite
443:wallabies
439:kangaroos
414:Victorian
391:sandstone
377:Wallabies
73:0°15′36″W
681:Archived
536:Archived
474:Grade II
333:charcoal
51:Location
721:14 July
454:mouflon
435:beavers
431:gazelle
426:Azaleas
292:History
278:Horsham
276:, near
213:1000159
174:1027010
310:acidic
260:is an
314:Weald
132:Owner
723:2017
666:2016
636:2016
606:2016
441:and
424:and
318:iron
268:and
264:and
112:Area
41:Type
564:147
326:ore
298:lea
272:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
