At first glance, the long, red-brick facade of Surrey's West Horsley Place mansion appears sturdy and very old.. In fact, it is almost a decoration: a Dutch-style wall was added in the 17th century in the fashion of that time to a medieval half-timbered house and, as the staff of the foundation, which now owns the building, discovered with horror, they barely attached it to the main building.. Now some parts of the wall are in danger of collapse. “This home is full of surprises, and more than just pleasant ones,” says ex-project manager Peter Pearce..

In the attic, prudently lined with buckets and plastic boxes under the leaks, you can find wood from various eras, including the surviving elements of the open rafter structure that once crowned the high ceiling of the two-story medieval hall, where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I visited. It is possible that during archaeological excavations in the garden it will be possible to find the remains of the earliest building of the Saxon period..

It all began six years ago, when historian and TV presenter Bember Gascoigne, to his amazement, learned that his 99-year-old great-aunt Mary, the Duchess of Roxburgh, bequeathed to him the house where her parents once lived and where she herself found refuge. Gascoigne repeatedly visited her in the mansion, but saw only four of the 45 rooms available there.. He realized the full extent of the problem only after he first climbed the mahogany stairs and entered the living room upholstered in silk damask, created in the 17th century, when the medieval hall was divided into several parts, covering the majestic ceiling.

The fact is that the Duchess's fairytale house is also included in the list of endangered objects of architectural heritage of the Historical England Foundation..

In the lobby, on numerous props, a fragment of the Tudor ceiling with stucco molding, which has survived to this day, is held, one of the oldest in the country.. On it you can see the family crests of Sir Anthony Brown, who received this estate as a gift from Henry VIII in 1547, and his beautiful wife, Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, who was married as a teenager.

The estate is now closed for restoration, although in recent years its maintenance has almost completely paid off through events, excursions and filming in the mansion, which captivates filmmakers with its shabby beauty (for example, the authors of the BBC comedy series " In 2017, the Grange Park Opera built a spectacular circular concert hall nearby, hidden behind a fenced orchard.

Peter Pearce, who handed over the project manager position to his namesake Ben Pearce in September, says that the main thing now is not to try to restore the house to museum level, but to bring it into a state that will allow safe operation as soon as possible.. In the meantime, new wiring and sewerage systems with gleaming toilets sit side by side with Tudor fireplaces and glass panels, beneath which are 500-year-old wooden beams and plaster crumbling from shingles..

Tours are expected to resume next year and the mansion will become part of local community life. “This house has a special spirit, it’s a very calm and welcoming place,” says Peter Pearce.. "

Source: theartnewspaper.