Step back in time as we approach Hatchford Manor. This Grade II listed country house is steeped in history. Hatchford Manor has served as a retreat for aristocracy and industrialists. Later, the War Office used it. Then it became a school.
Originally built in the 1600s, little of that structure remains. The 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Francis Egerton, rebuilt Hatchford Manor in the 1850s. Lord Ellesmere began an arboretum in 1845. Lady Ellesmere laid out the gardens. William Keane featured them in his book *The Beauties of Surrey*.
Lady Charlotte Greville died at Hatchford Park in 1862. She was Lady Ellesmere’s mother. Isabella Saltonstall later purchased the estate. She was a patron of painter George Stubbs. Around 1890, Rowland Plumbe remodeled the main house. He used a mock Jacobean style. Walter Moresby Chinnery, a city stockbroker, owned it then. Bernhard Samuelson MP built a mausoleum in the grounds. William John Firth, a steel magnate, was its last private owner in the 1930s.
During World War II, the War Office commandeered Hatchford Park. It became Hatchford Park School in 1952. This was a residential school for children with disabilities. Property developers bought Hatchford Park in the 1990s. They planned to convert it into private apartments. A fire during redevelopment severely damaged the manor house. It destroyed many original features.
Lord Ellesmere funded St Matthews Church on his estate. This happened when he remodeled the main house. The church became a parish in 1865. The Earl of Ellesmere was its patron. However, the church was demolished in the 1960s. It fell into disrepair. The graveyard remains in use. The community is now served by Ockham parish church and St Matthew’s chapel in Downside.
In 1969, Doctor Who filmed an episode at Hatchford Park. It was “Spearhead from Space”. It broadcast in 1970.
Hatchford Manor stands within a picturesque gated park. The communal grounds span about 11 acres. These grounds offer private access to Chatley Heath. It is part of an 830-acre reserve. This includes Wisley and Ockham Commons.
Today, Hatchford Manor has been divided into 13 luxury apartments. The communal areas showcase oak paneling. An oak staircase is remarkable. The meticulously maintained gardens include a tennis court.
Hatchford Manor is a place where history echoes through the walls. Imagine the lives lived and events unfolded within this grand estate.