Somerhill House
Encyclopedia
Somerhill House is a Grade I listed Jacobean
mansion
situated near Tonbridge
, Kent
, United Kingdom
. It was built for Richard de Burgh
in 1611–13. The estate was sequestrated by Parliament in 1645, and restored to its rightful owner in 1660. The building had become derelict by the mid-eighteenth century but was later restored. Somerhill was painted by Turner
in 1811. It was bought by a member of the Goldsmid family in 1849 and greatly extended between 1879 and 1897, making it the second largest house in Kent, after Knole House
, Sevenoaks
.
Somerhill housed a Prisoner of War
camp, Prisoner of War Camp No. 40, during the Second World War, following which it became the home of the d'Avigdor-Goldsmids and was visited by many celebrities of the time. Somerhill was sold by the d'Avigdor-Goldsmids in 1980, and again went into decline, being damaged by vandalism and storms. In 1993, The Schools at Somerhill
moved in, as of the building is used as a school.
at , in the civil parish of Tudeley
-cum-Capel
, which falls under Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
.
. The stone also contains iron
, which gives it a red colour. This stone is known as Calverley Stone. The house is in the shape of a letter "H", with the main hall forming the bar of the "H". The main elevation of the house faces west. The building is three storeys high, with a half-basement. It has five gables on the main elevation. The roof is of an A-frame
construction, clad in Kentish peg tiles
. The south wing houses the library
, the second longest room in Kent at 93 feet (28.3 m) long, exceeded only by the Gallery at Knole House
, Sevenoaks
. The main staircase is in the south wing. The north wing housed service rooms and the kitchen, with a parlour at the rear.
As built, the house measured almost 100 feet (30.5 m) in depth internally. The hall measures 23 feet (7 m) by 47 feet (14.3 m). To its north was a 22 feet (6.7 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m) drawing room. The dining room, located to the right of the hall measured 22 feet (6.7 m) by 33 feet (10.1 m). As extended, Somerhill provides around 49000 square feet (4,552.2 m²) of floorspace.
The house shows the transition from medieval architecture
, in which the hall was the main living and entertaining room, to the more modern plan, where the hall became a reception room. Somerhill is one of the earliest examples of this. When built, this was an innovative design.
in the Lowey of Tonbridge
. At one time the estate covered 6500 acres (2,630.5 ha). Built on the site of an earlier mansion, and designed by John Thorpe
, the house was built between 1611 and 1613, dates which are to be found on the surviving lead
en rainwater heads. Somerhill was built for Richard de Burgh
. The design was based on that of the Villa Valmarana, Lisiera
, Italy
, which was designed by Palladio.
De Burgh died in 1636, and Somerhill passed to his son Ulick
. Following the Battle of Naseby
in 1645, Somerhill was sequestrated
by Parliament, which gave it to Robert, Earl of Essex
. On his death in September 1646, Parliament gave Somerhill to John Bradshaw
. John Evelyn
, who visited Somerhill on 29 May 1652, described Somerhill as "situated on an eminent hill, with a park, but has nothing else extraordinary".
Following the Restoration of Charles II
to the throne in 1660, Somerhill was given to Margaret, Viscountess Muskerry, the daughter of Ulick de Burgh. Lady Muskerry had extravagant tastes, and gradually sold off much of the lands of South Frith to various people. She died in 1698, and Somerhill passed to her son, John Villiers, who styled himself the Earl of Buckingham
. Villers sold the Manor of South Frith to one Dekins. Some 1200 acres (485.6 ha) of grounds was sold separately to Abraham Hill of Sutton at Hone, Kent. Somerhill itself had been let to a warrener
.
. Woodgate lived in the house, and on his death it passed to his son Henry, who lived at Somerhill until 1769, and then within the town of Tonbridge until his death in 1787. On 5 August 1752, the house was visited by Horace Walpole
, who described its setting as commanding "a vast landscape, beautifully wooded and has quantities of large old trees to shelter itself". By 1766, Somerhill was in a "ruinous" state. It was to remain derelict throughout the century. In 1787, Somerhill passed to William Woodgate, who was Henry Woodgate's nephew and had been living at Somerhill. In 1792, Woodgate was one of three partners who set up The Tonbridge Bank.
made a drawing of Somerhill. In 1811, Somerhill was painted by Turner for the Woodgates; the location chosen was by the lake in the grounds. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars
and the agricultural depression which followed, coupled with the collapse of The Tonbridge Bank in 1812, Woodgate was declared bankrupt in 1816. In that year, Woodgate offered Somerhill for sale to the Duke of Wellington
, who declined to buy it as the foxhunting was not good enough for his liking. Somerhill was bought from the descendants of William Woodgate in November 1819 by James Alexander, MP
. By 1830, Somerhill had been substantially repaired. Landscaping was being undertaken at this time. In 1832, Anthony Salvin
was engaged to make improvements to the house, but retaining its original style. During the severe winter of 1835-36, skating
was possible on the lake at Somerhill for four weeks.
In 1842, Tonbridge Priory
was demolished to make way for the building of the first railway station
. A stone coffin from the priory was bought by Alexander and taken to Somerhill, where it can still be seen. In 1849, Somerhill was bought by Sir Isaac Goldsmid, passing to his son Frederick in 1859. In 1865, Goldsmid sued the Tunbridge Wells Improvement Commissioners because the Calverley Stream, which flowed through the grounds of Somerhill and supplied the lake with water, was polluted by sewage discharged into the stream from a sewage works owned by the defendants. The lake at Somerhill was used to supply ice for the house, as a watering place for the estate's cattle
and for recreational boating. The fouling of the stream had started in 1860, and made the water in the lake unfit for domestic purposes. Despite Goldsmid's efforts to get the Commissioners to cease fouling the stream, the Commissioner refused to act and the situation had worsened . In Court, the Commissioners claimed that the pollution was not caused by themselves, but by a farm downstream of their sewage works, a claim that was dismissed by the Judge. An injunction was granted preventing the Commissioners from polluting the stream, and Goldsmid was awarded his costs.
In 1866, Somerhill passed to Frederick's son Sir Julian Goldsmid
(later known as d'Avigdor-Goldsmid). Sir Julian returned the house to something nearer its original condition. In 1879, Somerhill was extended as more room was needed to accommodate Goldsmid's large family – he had eight daughters. The stables courtyard was rebuilt at this time, with the date 1879 being cast in the rainwater heads. The building work was to take until 1897 to complete. The expansion left Somerhill as the second largest house in Kent, after Knole House, Sevenoaks. Somerhill House itself covers an area of 2½ acres (1 ha). A ghost
in the form of a lady in white is said to haunt the Julian staircase, located in the Victorian part of the house. D'Avigdor-Goldsmid allowed people to drive their carriages through the grounds of Somerhill, although the house was not open to the public. Sir Julian died in 1896, and Somerhill passed to Sir Osmond d'Avigdor-Goldsmid.
In 1912, there was an army camp
held in the grounds of Somerhill. The soldiers were housed in bell tents. On Sir Osmond's death in 1940, it then passed to his eldest son Sir Henry
. During the Second World War, Somerhill was the site of a Prisoner of War
camp, known as POW Camp No. 40. Italian POWs were amongst those housed at Somerhill. The Army were in possession of Somerhill from 1940–49. Squatters occupied some of the 40-plus huts in 1948, they were locked in by the Colonel in charge of the camp at the time.
Post-war, the house was the scene of much lavish entertaining. Lady Rosemary d'Avigdor-Goldsmid likened it to a hotel, "except that the guests didn't pay!" Amongst the distinguished visitors were John Betjeman
, Hugh Casson
, David Niven
and Enoch Powell
. The house was listed on 20 October 1954. It is assessed as Grade I. On 19 September 1963, the d'Avigdor-Goldsmid's daughter Sarah was drowned in an accident, which occurred off Rye
, East Sussex
. Artist Marc Chagall
was commissioned to design a set of stained glass
windows in All Saints Church, Tudeley
, in her memory.
In 1976, Somerhill passed to Sir Henry's surviving daughter Chloe, who lived at Hadlow Place Farm, Hadlow
. She sold Somerhill in 1980, and it was sold thrice more in the next eight years. The house was damaged in a storm and also by neglect and vandalism. Somerhill was bought by Mr & Mrs Weir in 1979. The Weirs removed the carved wooden hall screen and also large areas of panelling in the entrance hall and the salon upstairs. A sale of the contents of Somerhill was held by Sotheby's
on 23 and 24 June 1981. Somerhill was advertised for sale in May 1984 at a price in excess of £1,500,000. Beginning in 1988, the house was extensively restored with assistance from English Heritage
. The works were undertaken by Messrs Durtnells of Brasted
, who celebrated their 400th anniversary in 1991 with a party held at Somerhill as the restoration was completed. Fielden and Mawson were the architects for the work.
In 1993, The Schools at Somerhill
moved to Somerhill House, having previously been at Tunbridge Wells. The Schools at Somerhill comprise three schools in one location. Somerhill Pre-Prep is for boys and girls aged 3 – 6. Derwent Lodge is for girls aged 6 – 11 and Yardley Court is for boys aged 6 – 13. In 1998, the attic rooms were converted to provide classrooms and art room. A former granary
has also been converted to classrooms, whilst some stable
s have been converted to workshops. Also in that year, a bridge over the lake in the grounds of Somerhill was added to the Buildings at Risk Register by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
, in whose area Somerhill falls. In 2000, the central span between the old stable courtyard and the stable courtyard was reinstated at a cost of £720,000
to provide accommodation for Somerhill Pre-Prep School and administrative offices. Also in that year, planning permission
was granted for the building of a sports hall on the top sports terrace.
pitch was added in 2003. In 2004, the bridge over the lake was repaired at a cost of £170,000, aided by a grant of £32,000 from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. In 2006, planning permission was granted for the conversion of the walled garden
into a dining hall and indoor swimming pool. Work began the next year and was completed in January 2009. The dining room and swimming pool were given a Design Award by Tonbridge Civic Society in 2009. As a working school, Somerhill House is not normally open to the public. It has been open as part of Heritage Open Days. Somerhill House was open in 2006, and also in 2010. The grounds of Somerhill contain 152 acres (61.5 ha) of land.
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
situated near Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was built for Richard de Burgh
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde was an Irish nobleman. He was the son of Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde and Honora Burke, daughter of John Burke....
in 1611–13. The estate was sequestrated by Parliament in 1645, and restored to its rightful owner in 1660. The building had become derelict by the mid-eighteenth century but was later restored. Somerhill was painted by Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
in 1811. It was bought by a member of the Goldsmid family in 1849 and greatly extended between 1879 and 1897, making it the second largest house in Kent, after Knole House
Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards...
, Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
.
Somerhill housed a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp, Prisoner of War Camp No. 40, during the Second World War, following which it became the home of the d'Avigdor-Goldsmids and was visited by many celebrities of the time. Somerhill was sold by the d'Avigdor-Goldsmids in 1980, and again went into decline, being damaged by vandalism and storms. In 1993, The Schools at Somerhill
The Schools at Somerhill
The Schools at Somerhill is the title given to a group of schools located in Somerhill House, a Jacobean mansion situated to the south east of Tonbridge in Kent, England, but lying with the parish of Tudeley-cum-Capel. The three schools are Yardley Court, Derwent Lodge and Somerhill Pre-Prep...
moved in, as of the building is used as a school.
Location
Somerhill House lies 1½ miles (2.4 km) south of TonbridgeTonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
at , in the civil parish of Tudeley
Tudeley
thumb|Chagall windowTudeley is a small village near Tonbridge Kent in South East England.It is the location of All Saints' church, the only church in the world that has all its windows in stained glass designed by Marc Chagall.The East window...
-cum-Capel
Capel, Kent
Capel is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the north of the Weald, three miles to the east of Tonbridge....
, which falls under Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Tunbridge Wells (borough)
Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural...
.
Description
Somerhill is built of sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. The stone also contains iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, which gives it a red colour. This stone is known as Calverley Stone. The house is in the shape of a letter "H", with the main hall forming the bar of the "H". The main elevation of the house faces west. The building is three storeys high, with a half-basement. It has five gables on the main elevation. The roof is of an A-frame
A-Frame
An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in a 45-degree or greater angle, attached at the top...
construction, clad in Kentish peg tiles
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
. The south wing houses the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, the second longest room in Kent at 93 feet (28.3 m) long, exceeded only by the Gallery at Knole House
Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards...
, Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
. The main staircase is in the south wing. The north wing housed service rooms and the kitchen, with a parlour at the rear.
As built, the house measured almost 100 feet (30.5 m) in depth internally. The hall measures 23 feet (7 m) by 47 feet (14.3 m). To its north was a 22 feet (6.7 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m) drawing room. The dining room, located to the right of the hall measured 22 feet (6.7 m) by 33 feet (10.1 m). As extended, Somerhill provides around 49000 square feet (4,552.2 m²) of floorspace.
The house shows the transition from medieval architecture
Medieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
, in which the hall was the main living and entertaining room, to the more modern plan, where the hall became a reception room. Somerhill is one of the earliest examples of this. When built, this was an innovative design.
17th century
The land that Somerhill was built on originally formed part of the estate of South Frith, one of two deer parksMedieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
in the Lowey of Tonbridge
Lowey of Tonbridge
The Lowey of Tonbridge is the name given to the large tract of land given to Richard Fitz Gilbert in West Kent, England by William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings as a reward for his assistance in winning the battle. Richard was a cousin of William's with both being descended from...
. At one time the estate covered 6500 acres (2,630.5 ha). Built on the site of an earlier mansion, and designed by John Thorpe
John Thorpe
John Thorpe or Thorp was an English architect. Little is known of his life, and his work is dubiously inferred, rather than accurately known, from a folio of drawings in the Sir John Soane's Museum, to which Horace Walpole called attention, in 1780, in his Anecdotes of Painting; but how far these...
, the house was built between 1611 and 1613, dates which are to be found on the surviving lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
en rainwater heads. Somerhill was built for Richard de Burgh
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde was an Irish nobleman. He was the son of Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde and Honora Burke, daughter of John Burke....
. The design was based on that of the Villa Valmarana, Lisiera
Bolzano Vicentino
Bolzano Vicentino is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is east of A31 highway, with a population of 5,455. The main attraction is Palladio's Villa Valmarana Scagnolari Zen, situated in the frazione Lisiera.-Sources:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which was designed by Palladio.
De Burgh died in 1636, and Somerhill passed to his son Ulick
Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde
Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde , was an Irish nobleman and figure in English Civil War....
. Following the Battle of Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
in 1645, Somerhill was sequestrated
Sequestration (law)
Sequestration is the act of removing, separating, or seizing anything from the possession of its owner under process of law for the benefit of creditors or the state.-Etymology:...
by Parliament, which gave it to Robert, Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
. On his death in September 1646, Parliament gave Somerhill to John Bradshaw
John Bradshaw (judge)
John Bradshaw was an English judge. He is most notable for his role as President of the High Court of Justice for the trial of King Charles I and as the first Lord President of the Council of State of the English Commonwealth....
. John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
, who visited Somerhill on 29 May 1652, described Somerhill as "situated on an eminent hill, with a park, but has nothing else extraordinary".
Following the Restoration of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to the throne in 1660, Somerhill was given to Margaret, Viscountess Muskerry, the daughter of Ulick de Burgh. Lady Muskerry had extravagant tastes, and gradually sold off much of the lands of South Frith to various people. She died in 1698, and Somerhill passed to her son, John Villiers, who styled himself the Earl of Buckingham
Earl of Buckingham
The peerage title Earl of Buckingham was created several times in the Peerage of England.It was first created in 1097 for Walter Giffard, but became extinct in 1164 with the death of the second earl. It may have been created again in 1164 for Richard de Clare , who died without issue in 1176...
. Villers sold the Manor of South Frith to one Dekins. Some 1200 acres (485.6 ha) of grounds was sold separately to Abraham Hill of Sutton at Hone, Kent. Somerhill itself had been let to a warrener
Warren (domestic)
A domestic warren is an artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. It evolved from the Anglo-Norman concept of free warren, which had been, essentially, the equivalent of a hunting license for a given woodland.-Architecture of the...
.
18th century
Dekins sold Somerhill to one Cave, who sold it in 1712 to John Woodgate of PenshurstPenshurst
Penshurst is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, west of Tonbridge. Within the parish boundaries are the two villages of Penshurst and Fordcombe, with a combined population of some 1,479 persons. The...
. Woodgate lived in the house, and on his death it passed to his son Henry, who lived at Somerhill until 1769, and then within the town of Tonbridge until his death in 1787. On 5 August 1752, the house was visited by Horace Walpole
Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors,...
, who described its setting as commanding "a vast landscape, beautifully wooded and has quantities of large old trees to shelter itself". By 1766, Somerhill was in a "ruinous" state. It was to remain derelict throughout the century. In 1787, Somerhill passed to William Woodgate, who was Henry Woodgate's nephew and had been living at Somerhill. In 1792, Woodgate was one of three partners who set up The Tonbridge Bank.
19th century
In 1809, TurnerJ. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
made a drawing of Somerhill. In 1811, Somerhill was painted by Turner for the Woodgates; the location chosen was by the lake in the grounds. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and the agricultural depression which followed, coupled with the collapse of The Tonbridge Bank in 1812, Woodgate was declared bankrupt in 1816. In that year, Woodgate offered Somerhill for sale to the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, who declined to buy it as the foxhunting was not good enough for his liking. Somerhill was bought from the descendants of William Woodgate in November 1819 by James Alexander, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. By 1830, Somerhill had been substantially repaired. Landscaping was being undertaken at this time. In 1832, Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations...
was engaged to make improvements to the house, but retaining its original style. During the severe winter of 1835-36, skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
was possible on the lake at Somerhill for four weeks.
In 1842, Tonbridge Priory
Tonbridge Priory
Tonbridge Priory was a priory in Tonbridge, Kent, England that was established in 1124. It was destroyed by fire in 1337 and then rebuilt. The priory was disestablished in 1523. The building stood in 1735, but was a ruin by 1780...
was demolished to make way for the building of the first railway station
Tonbridge railway station
Tonbridge railway station is a station serving the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is a junction between two important commuter routes; the South Eastern Main Line serving Ashford, Ramsgate and Dover and the Hastings Main Line serving Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, as well as a branch to...
. A stone coffin from the priory was bought by Alexander and taken to Somerhill, where it can still be seen. In 1849, Somerhill was bought by Sir Isaac Goldsmid, passing to his son Frederick in 1859. In 1865, Goldsmid sued the Tunbridge Wells Improvement Commissioners because the Calverley Stream, which flowed through the grounds of Somerhill and supplied the lake with water, was polluted by sewage discharged into the stream from a sewage works owned by the defendants. The lake at Somerhill was used to supply ice for the house, as a watering place for the estate's cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and for recreational boating. The fouling of the stream had started in 1860, and made the water in the lake unfit for domestic purposes. Despite Goldsmid's efforts to get the Commissioners to cease fouling the stream, the Commissioner refused to act and the situation had worsened . In Court, the Commissioners claimed that the pollution was not caused by themselves, but by a farm downstream of their sewage works, a claim that was dismissed by the Judge. An injunction was granted preventing the Commissioners from polluting the stream, and Goldsmid was awarded his costs.
In 1866, Somerhill passed to Frederick's son Sir Julian Goldsmid
Sir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet
Sir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet was a British lawyer, businessman and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1866 and 1896....
(later known as d'Avigdor-Goldsmid). Sir Julian returned the house to something nearer its original condition. In 1879, Somerhill was extended as more room was needed to accommodate Goldsmid's large family – he had eight daughters. The stables courtyard was rebuilt at this time, with the date 1879 being cast in the rainwater heads. The building work was to take until 1897 to complete. The expansion left Somerhill as the second largest house in Kent, after Knole House, Sevenoaks. Somerhill House itself covers an area of 2½ acres (1 ha). A ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
in the form of a lady in white is said to haunt the Julian staircase, located in the Victorian part of the house. D'Avigdor-Goldsmid allowed people to drive their carriages through the grounds of Somerhill, although the house was not open to the public. Sir Julian died in 1896, and Somerhill passed to Sir Osmond d'Avigdor-Goldsmid.
20th century
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
held in the grounds of Somerhill. The soldiers were housed in bell tents. On Sir Osmond's death in 1940, it then passed to his eldest son Sir Henry
Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid
Major-General Sir Henry Joseph "Harry" d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet DSO, MC, DL, TD , was a British army officer, company director and politician....
. During the Second World War, Somerhill was the site of a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp, known as POW Camp No. 40. Italian POWs were amongst those housed at Somerhill. The Army were in possession of Somerhill from 1940–49. Squatters occupied some of the 40-plus huts in 1948, they were locked in by the Colonel in charge of the camp at the time.
Post-war, the house was the scene of much lavish entertaining. Lady Rosemary d'Avigdor-Goldsmid likened it to a hotel, "except that the guests didn't pay!" Amongst the distinguished visitors were John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
, Hugh Casson
Hugh Casson
Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson, KCVO, RA, RDI, was a British architect, interior designer, artist, and influential writer and broadcaster on 20th century design. He is particularly noted for his role as director of architecture at the 1951 Festival of Britain on London's South Bank.Casson's family...
, David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
and Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
. The house was listed on 20 October 1954. It is assessed as Grade I. On 19 September 1963, the d'Avigdor-Goldsmid's daughter Sarah was drowned in an accident, which occurred off Rye
Rye, East Sussex
Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. Artist Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
was commissioned to design a set of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows in All Saints Church, Tudeley
Tudeley
thumb|Chagall windowTudeley is a small village near Tonbridge Kent in South East England.It is the location of All Saints' church, the only church in the world that has all its windows in stained glass designed by Marc Chagall.The East window...
, in her memory.
In 1976, Somerhill passed to Sir Henry's surviving daughter Chloe, who lived at Hadlow Place Farm, Hadlow
Hadlow
Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...
. She sold Somerhill in 1980, and it was sold thrice more in the next eight years. The house was damaged in a storm and also by neglect and vandalism. Somerhill was bought by Mr & Mrs Weir in 1979. The Weirs removed the carved wooden hall screen and also large areas of panelling in the entrance hall and the salon upstairs. A sale of the contents of Somerhill was held by Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
on 23 and 24 June 1981. Somerhill was advertised for sale in May 1984 at a price in excess of £1,500,000. Beginning in 1988, the house was extensively restored with assistance from English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. The works were undertaken by Messrs Durtnells of Brasted
Brasted
Brasted is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the west of Sevenoaks town. The parish includes the settlements of Brasted Chart and Toys Hill, and had a population of 1321 persons . The single slightly winding street of the village has a...
, who celebrated their 400th anniversary in 1991 with a party held at Somerhill as the restoration was completed. Fielden and Mawson were the architects for the work.
In 1993, The Schools at Somerhill
The Schools at Somerhill
The Schools at Somerhill is the title given to a group of schools located in Somerhill House, a Jacobean mansion situated to the south east of Tonbridge in Kent, England, but lying with the parish of Tudeley-cum-Capel. The three schools are Yardley Court, Derwent Lodge and Somerhill Pre-Prep...
moved to Somerhill House, having previously been at Tunbridge Wells. The Schools at Somerhill comprise three schools in one location. Somerhill Pre-Prep is for boys and girls aged 3 – 6. Derwent Lodge is for girls aged 6 – 11 and Yardley Court is for boys aged 6 – 13. In 1998, the attic rooms were converted to provide classrooms and art room. A former granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
has also been converted to classrooms, whilst some stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s have been converted to workshops. Also in that year, a bridge over the lake in the grounds of Somerhill was added to the Buildings at Risk Register by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Tunbridge Wells (borough)
Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural...
, in whose area Somerhill falls. In 2000, the central span between the old stable courtyard and the stable courtyard was reinstated at a cost of £720,000
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
to provide accommodation for Somerhill Pre-Prep School and administrative offices. Also in that year, planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
was granted for the building of a sports hall on the top sports terrace.
21st century
The reinstated central span opened in January 2001. The new sports hall was completed in 2002 at a cost of £1,400,000. An artificial turfArtificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
pitch was added in 2003. In 2004, the bridge over the lake was repaired at a cost of £170,000, aided by a grant of £32,000 from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. In 2006, planning permission was granted for the conversion of the walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
into a dining hall and indoor swimming pool. Work began the next year and was completed in January 2009. The dining room and swimming pool were given a Design Award by Tonbridge Civic Society in 2009. As a working school, Somerhill House is not normally open to the public. It has been open as part of Heritage Open Days. Somerhill House was open in 2006, and also in 2010. The grounds of Somerhill contain 152 acres (61.5 ha) of land.
Listed buildings
The table below shows the status of the various listed buildings in the grounds of Somerhill House.| Description | Grade | Date of listing | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerhill House | I. | 20 October 1954. | |
| Bridge over the lake | II. | 24 August 1990. | |
| Lake Cottage | II. | 24 August 1990. | |
| Terrace Walls and Sunken Lane | II. | 24 August 1990. |