Best National Trust spots to visit
Seen Polesden Lacey and The Vyne? Why not try some of the other National Trust hidden gems within easy reach of Surrey, says Rosanna Greenstreet...
1. The Homewood
©National Trust Images/Nick Guttridge
The Homewood, Surrey
A masterpiece of Modernist design set in a picturesque woodland garden, The Homewood was designed by the architect Patrick Gwynne for his family. Completed in the early summer of 1938, Gwynne lived in the house until his death in 2003. Now The Homewood is administered by a tenant and visits are only possible as part of a pre-booked guided tour. The National Trust runs tours on alternate Fridays and Saturdays between April and October, departing by minibus from nearby Claremont Landscape Garden.
2. Leith Hill Place
©National Trust Images/John Miller
Leigh Hill Place, Surrey
An atmospheric house with panoramic views across the Surrey countryside, Leith Hill Place was the childhood home of one of England's greatest composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams, who gave it to the National Trust in 1945. His grandparents, Josiah Wedgwood III and Caroline (née Darwin) moved here in 1847 and his great uncle, the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, conducted experiments in the grounds.
For nearly 40 years the property was a school boarding house but, in 2013, the Trust re-opened the property to the public. A highlight is a little piano on which Vaughan composed many of his famous works which were donated in 2016. The restoration of the house is ongoing and local musical groups perform there to support the work and continue the legacy of sharing and creating new music. Surrey artists are invited to contribute to an exhibition which will take place in the house this autumn.
4. Shalford Mill
©National Trust Images/Nick Meers
The wooden casings of the three millstones at Shalford Mill, Surrey
Sitting on the Tillingbourne stream, Shalford Mill has been part of the medieval village of Shalford since the 18th century. The machinery no longer works but is still in situ and, together with the graffitied, lime-washed walls and ancient hessian sacks, it tells a story of the decline of traditional village work. The mill was saved by a group of five women known as the Ferguson Gang who, in the 1930s, were determined to preserve the fabric of England for future generations.
The Mill was their first donation to the National Trust and they used to hold meetings around the millstone on the first floor. Tours are limited to a maximum of 30 people at any one time and must be booked in advance. There's no toilet or tearoom on site, but there is a pub across the road called The Seahorse.
5. 575 Wandsworth Road
© National Trust / Melanie Caldwell
575 Wandsworth Road
The hand-carved fretwork interior of this modest, early 19th-century, terraced house is enthralling. It was created by Khadambi Asalache (1935-2006), a Kenyan-born poet, novelist, philosopher of mathematics and British civil servant. He bought the house in 1981 while working at the Treasury. Prompted by the need to disguise persistent damp in the basement dining room, he fixed pine floorboards to the wall. He went on to embellish almost every wall, ceiling and door in the house with exquisite fretwork patterns and motifs, which he hand-carved from reclaimed pine doors and floorboards found in skips.
The house stands as he left it, with his painted decoration on walls, doors and floors and the rooms furnished with his handmade fretwork furniture and collections of beautiful and functional objects, including pressed-glass inkwells, pink and copper lustreware, postcards and Asalache’s typewriter. To preserve the delicate interior, only 2,000 visitors per year are allowed and outdoor shoes must be removed. Bring your own socks or slippers or socks can be provided for £2.00. Tickets must be booked in advance.
6. Sandham Memorial Chapel
©National Trust Images/John Miller
The reflection garden in May at Sandham Memorial Chapel, Hampshire
This modest red-brick building tucked away in a quiet corner of Hampshire houses an unexpected treasure; an epic series of large-scale murals, by the acclaimed war artist Sir Stanley Spencer. Built to honour the dead of the First World War, who were not remembered on any official memorials, the series was informed by Spencer’s own experiences as a medical orderly. Inspired by Giotto's Arena Chapel in Padua and made possible through the generous patronage of Mr and Mrs Behrend, the 19 oil paintings covering three walls of the chapel took six years to complete and are considered by many to be the artist’s finest achievement.
The chapel holds services throughout the year, including an annual Remembrance Day event. There are also regular talks in the chapel, as well as a programme of workshops and events. Groups must pre-book.
7. Monk’s House
©National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel
Virginia Woolf's bedroom at Monk's House, East Sussex
You’ve been to Vanessa Bell’s house Charleston and seen Vita Sackville West’s Sissinghurst, now visit the much smaller Monk’s House which was owned by other famous members of the Bloomsbury set, the novelist Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard. Monk’s House is a tranquil 16th-century weather-boarded cottage inhabited by the couple from 1919.
Virginia Woolf lived here until her suicide in 1941 in the nearby River Ouse (bedroom pictured above); Leonard died in 1969. The Woolfs bought Monk's House for the 'shape and fertility and wildness of the garden'. Today, the lovely cottage garden contains a mix of flowers, vegetables, orchards, lawns and ponds. Full of their favourite things, the house appears as if they just stepped out for a walk.
8. Smallhythe Place, Tenterden, Kent
©National Trust Images/John Miller
The Barn Theatre at Smallhythe Place, the home of actress Ellen Terry from 1899 to 1928 at Tenterden, Kent
Built in the early 16th-century when Smallhythe was a thriving shipbuilding port, Smallhythe Place was later purchased by renowned Victorian actress, Ellen Terry, in 1899. A year after she died in 1928, her daughter Edith Craig, transformed the house into a museum which now displays a fascinating personal and theatrical collection that reflects Ellen's extraordinary career and unconventional private life.
The 9,500 artefacts include the costume worn by Terry as Lady Macbeth in 1888. Designed by Alice Comyns Carr, the dress is adorned with real wings shed naturally by the jewel beetle of South East Asia. Smallhythe Place includes a cottage garden with wonderful roses, a vintage tea room and a 17th-century thatched Barn Theatre. Ellen's legacy is kept alive with a diverse programme of productions in the theatre and garden throughout the year.
9. Shaw’s Corner
©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra
Visitors in the garden at Shaw's Corner, Hertfordshire
Playwright, politician, philosopher and wit George Bernard Shaw lived in this Edwardian villa for over 40 years from 1906. The playwright moved to Shaw’s Corner in 1906 with his wife, Charlotte Payne-Townshend and lived there until his death, in the dining room, in 1950. In Charlotte, Shaw chose a partner who was on all fronts his equal. A suffragist, philanthropist and translator, Charlotte shared Shaw’s ideals and devoted much of her time to the struggle for women’s rights.
The pair were committed socialists and part of the Fabian Society, whose members believed that capitalism created an unequal society. Today their home, with its beautiful Arts and Crafts interior and tranquil gardens, remains much as they left it. Highlights include Shaw’s 1926 Nobel Prize for Literature and his writing desk.
For opening times and further details on all these properties visit nationaltrust.org.uk
