Munstead House

Description

Taking the houses in roughly chronological order, these begin with MUNSTEAD HOUSE, in Munstead Heath Road, ½ m. SE of the church. This was built for Gertrude Jekyll’s mother, on what was then an open heath, by J. J. Stevenson, 1877–8. The style, oddly in Surrey, is a kind of Scots vernacular; unfortunately the chimneys and the third floor were removed in the mid C20. The single-storey wing to the r. of the entrance was Miss Jekyll’s workroom, with a witty Jacobean fireplace designed and made by her. In 1895 Mrs Jekyll died, and her son Sir Herbert took over Munstead House. The drawing room was remodelled for him by Lutyens in 1900, with round-arched windows for the extension. Sir Herbert Jekyll, a sapper who had wanted to be an architect, carved the elaborate and convin­cing panelling of the dining room à la Grinling Gibbons. The hall fireplace was carved by Miss Jekyll. Also by Lutyens is the ORANGERY, rebuilt in 1969.

Across the road to the N, in the woodland she planted, Miss Jekyll began her experiments in horticulture from 1881, with Lutyens visiting her constantly after 1890. (O’Brien et al., 2022, p.533)

House. 1877-8 by J. J. Stevenson for Gertrude Jekyll and her mother, drawing room remodelled by Lutyens in c.1900. Coursed and snecked sandstone block with ashlar dressings, plain tiled and machine tiled roofs. Two storeys to left, one storey and attics to centre and two storeys and attic to gable bay to right. Single storey extensions to right. End ridge stack to left and front stacks to left and right. Entrance front:- Basement plinth to front, gabled bay projecting to right hand end. Irregular glazing-bar sash fenestration. Two windows under the eaves to first floor left, three windows across the ground floor. Three through- eaves, sash dormers to centre range under gable/pediments with two between-floors sashes, lighting staircase, to left. One ground floor sash window under cornice hood to right. Two attic windows to gable on projecting range to right with one sash window on each floor below, both under cornice hoods and with moulded sills. Door of six panels to left of centre under transome light of ten panes, smooth ashlar panel over. Flat hood to base of transome light over door on fluted scroll brackets and 5 steps to front. C20 extensions to left. Lutyens extensions set back to right. Garden Front:- Main range to right with two square bays and alternating recesses. Wood cornices to bays and two sashes to each floor on each bay. One sash between bays on each floor. Lower range set back to left with wooden square bay to centre. “Venetian” window to first floor of bay and tripartite plate glass sash window below. Hip roofed single storey range to left with arched double doors and keystoned surrounds. Upper attic floor now removed and stacks truncated. Interior:- Jacobean fireplace designed and built by G. Jekyll. Sir Herbert Jekyll carved original Dining Room decoration. (Historic England, list entry 1240170)

Bibliography

O’Brien, C., Nairn, I. and Cherry, B. (2022) Surrey. Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Historic England. MUNSTEAD HOUSE. [Online] Available from: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1240170

Also Cited In

Nairn, I., Pevsner, N. (1971) Surrey (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England). 2nd edn. Yale University Press.

COUNTRY HOMES GARDENS OLD & NEW: MUNSTEAD HOUSE AND … ITS MISTRESS. 1900. Country Life Illustrated (Archive : 1897-1901), 8(205), pp. 730-739.

Listing Grade

II

Listing Reference

1240170

Client

Sir Herbert Jekyll