Wakehurst was previously known as Wakehurst Place, and was owned by the National Trust and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The house is a Grade I Listed property with a Horsham slab roof. There are many interesting details about the architecture, including its three-story projection. The property has undergone a series of renovations and restorations.
Listed grade I house
The listed grade I house at Wakehurst Place is situated on the western edge of a 40-hectare registered site in High Weald, West Sussex. Gardens, woodland, and lakes surround the house. The estate includes four national collections, including rare plants from the southern hemisphere and the Himalayas. The building was originally a courtyard built by Sir Edward Culpeper around 1590. In 1848, the Duchess of Downshire added a wing to the house.
Wakehurst Place is a Grade I listed building set in Grade II* listed landscape. It is a superb example of a Tudor mansion. Sir Edward Culpepper, a distant descendant of Nicholas Culperrer, built the house in 1590. Today, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, manages the house and estate. Recently, Heritage Surveys inspected the timber staircase at the house to assess its condition.
The house has been home to several notable owners since it was built. Gerald Wakehurst, who purchased the estate in 1903, was a passionate plant man and sponsored many collecting expeditions. His particular interest was in plants from the Southern Hemisphere. He built an outstanding collection from this region. The house was sold to Sir Henry and Lady Eve Price in 1936, who loved plants and cared for them. In 1965, the Royal Botanic Gardens took over the lease of Wakehurst and the gardens.
Horsham slab roof
The walls of the Wakehurst place house are of local sandstone, and the roof is made of Horsham slabs. It has a two-story plan with an attic. The south elevation is symmetrical, with a gable-headed middle porch and two bay windows. Above the windows are detached gabled dormers with paneled corbels and ball-heads above the kneelers. The roof above the porch is decorated with double scrolls and consoles above the coping.
The Horsham stone roofing slab crisis has sparked concerns from groups such as the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAC). Many of the county’s Grade I, II*, and III listed buildings use Horsham stone as their roof. While the stone is not quarried at scale, several ‘delves’ are being made to take stone from the upper layers of geological strata. Historic England and Horsham District Council are working to solve the problem.
The east response has a 14th-century molded semi-octagonal capital. The west response has a similar capital and base. The original arches are two-centered and of two chamfered orders. The 15th-century roof of the chancel is covered with Horsham slabs.
Sir Edward Culpeper built the house on the site of the manor house of the Wakehurst family. Originally, it was built as a courtyard with a three-story south projection and porch. The original structure was shortened two-thirds in 1848, and a new one was added in 1852 by the Duchess of Downshire.
Three-story projection
This Listed Grade I house stands on level ground on the north edge of the registered site of Wakehurst Place. It has a three-story south-front projection and a porch. The house is made of sandstone ashlar and has a Horsham slab roof. The house was originally designed as a courtyard by Sir Edward Culpeper in 1590. The Duchess of Downshire added the south-end range in 1848.
This installation by The Colour Project is a 3D animated projection designed to tell the story of a seed and its fate in the Wakehurst Gardens. The projection is projected onto a 300m2 natural canvas of conifer trees. This makes it the largest natural screen in the UK.
The house is surrounded by a park and a wetland conservation area. The site includes four national collections and an extensive collection of rare and exotic plants. The building houses seeds and other preserved specimens from the southern and Himalayan regions. It is also home to the Millennium Seed Bank.
The Wakehurst family originally owned Wakehurst place in the late C13. After Thomas’s death, his widow, Anne, married Henry Barkeley, LL.D. Culpeper built the house in 1590. His son William succeeded him and made him a baronet. He was also a member of the Parliament for East Grinstead. He died in 1678 and was succeeded by his son, Sir William. Sir William Culpeper gambled away the estate and sold Wakehurst Place to Dennis Liddell for PS9,000 in 1694.
American prairie
For a year, Wakehurst Place in Sussex, UK, has recreated the landscape of the North American prairie. This was a huge undertaking – researchers collected 12 million seeds and planted 50,000 seedlings by hand. After one year, the park has become an expanse of golden grass. Prairie expert Larry Weaner says the future of the meadow depends on the tiny plants.
The prairie is a flat, temperate grassland in many parts of North America. The native plants found here include the prairie rose, the state flower of North Dakota. Another plant in the prairie is the New England Aster, tall and wide, with a broad, flat leaf.
The Wakehurst project aims to create resilient landscapes that stand up to modern life’s rigors. Unlike conventional gardening practices, which require extensive irrigation, weeding, and mulching, the project uses a sustainable approach. The project is overseen by American gardening expert Larry Weaner, who has experience restoring prairie grasslands in the US. Although the summer has hindered the project’s progress, it does not mean it is completely doomed.
Another feature of the American prairie at Wakehurst Place is the Wakehurst Winter Garden, now in its fourth year. It’s a stunning scene that mixes groundcover species with bright stems that emerge after leaf fall. The winter garden also features interplanting of late winter and early spring bulbs. Crocus ‘Ard Schenk’ is the ‘Ard Schenk’ variety, which looks skyward. Cyclamen coum and snowdrops add charm.
Cost of building
The Wakehurst place cost was estimated to be seven hundred thousand dollars. It featured a sunken garden, eleven greenhouses, and imported trees from different countries. The property was finished over six years. Its architect, Ernest Bowditch, was trained by Frederick Law Olmsted and added a flock of sheep to give the grounds a traditional, rural English feel.
After completing the design, Gerald Loder purchased Wakehurst Place in 1903. He spent 33 years creating the gardens, and the property became a national treasure after his death. In 1963, the estate passed to the National Trust. In 1965, the Royal Botanic Gardens took over the lease from the National Trust, and in the following years, the estate became a world heritage site.
The Wakehurst Place estate has over 200 acres of land in the High Weald of West Sussex. The estate was bequeathed to the National Trust, whose board oversees its operation. It includes the Grade I-listed Wakehurst Place Mansion and Stable Block and 40 acres of parkland. And the estate also has a collection of rare plants and seeds from the Himalayas and the southern hemisphere.
Wakehurst place was built in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1884. It is an almost replica of Wakehurst Place in England, and it has many beautiful chandeliers and stained glass windows. Van Alen’s wife had recently died, and he requested the property be built after her death. Wakehurst place now belongs to Salve Regina University and is used as a student center.