Sandown House

Sandown House
The building in 2024
Location	High Street, Esher
Coordinates	51°22′16″N0°21′44″W / 51.3710°N 0.3622°W / 51.3710; -0.3622
Built	1762 (remodelling)
Architectural style(s)	Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Sandown House
Designated	28 May 1969
Reference no.	1030194
Shown in Surrey

Sandown House, known as Esher Town Hall during much of the 20th century, is a historic building in the High Street in Esher, a town in Surrey, in England. The building, which has been converted into flats, is a Grade II listed building. ^[1]

History

Elements of the building may dated back to the late 17th century. However, much of the significant development of the house took place after it was acquired by the East India Company trader, Richard Barwell, in the mid-18th century. A degree of re-modelling took place when Barwell commissioned Sir William Chambers to re-design much of the interior in 1762. ^{[2] [3]} It then became the home of a local magistrate, James Nugent Daniell, in the first half of the 19th century. ^{[4] [5]} Various sources state that the mathematician and writer, Ada Lovelace, lived at Sandown from 1841 until her death in 1852. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [lower-alpha 1]}

The house was then became the home of the Governor of the Bank of England, James Pattison Currie, in the mid-19th century. ^{[13] [14]} In around 1880, some of the land around the house was sold to Sandown Park Racecourse. ^[15]

After Esher Urban District Council was formed in 1894, it was initially based at Brabant Villa in Thames Ditton; however, by the end of the First World war, these premises were inadequate and, in 1922, the council acquired Sandown House to serve as Esher Town Hall. ^{[16] [17]} The house continued to serve as the headquarters of the council for over half a century, but it ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Elmbridge Borough Council was formed at Walton-on-Thames in 1974. ^{[18] [19]} The new council continued to use Sandown House as a base for the delivery of local services until 1992. ^[20]

The house was subsequently sold to a developer, Active Office, and, in April 1998, after the building became dilapidated, Active Office was fined £5,000 for neglecting to undertake repairs. ^{[21] [22]} It was bought by Latchmere Properties and Countryside Residential in May 2000 and was then converted into apartments in the early 21st century. ^[23]

Architecture

The five-bay central section of the building is three storeys high, with attics above, while the four-bay wings are of two storeys. It is built of brick with stucco finish. It features a central pedimented portico, formed by Ionic order columns supporting an entablature and a pediment, and it is fenestrated with sash windows. The bays are separated by banded pilasters supporting a modillioned cornice and balustrade at the eaves. There is also a square cupola built of brick, housing a clock. To the left is a five-bay extension. Inside, the entrance hall has a grand staircase. The house was grade II listed in 1969. ^[1]

Notes

1. Despite the blue plaque on Sandown House, Ockham Parish Council claim that Ada Lovelace actually lived at Ockham Park, not Sandown House. ^[12]

References

1. Historic England. "Sandown House (1030194)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 July 2024.
2. Harris, John; Snodin, Michael (1996). Sir William Chambers Architect to George III. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0300069402.
3. "Designs for a Chimney-piece for Richard Barwell's Drawing Room at Esher, Surrey". The Met Fifth Avenue. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
4. Daniell, Philip (1876). "Biographical history of the family of Daniell or De Anyers of Cheshire, 1066–1876". p. 32.
5. "St Pauls Church Memorial's, Canterbury". Historic Canterbury. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
6. "Ada Lovelace (1815–1852)". Exploring Surrey's Past. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
7. "Augusta Ada Byron Countess of Lovelace". Open Plaques. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
8. "Blue Plaques". Esher Residents. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
9. "Queen Victoria's favourite sculptor honoured in Esher". Your Local Guardian. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
10. "Augusta Ada Lovelace". The Elmbridge Hundred. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
11. "82 inspirational and influential women from Surrey's past and present you should know about". Get Surrey. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
12. "A brief history". Ockham Parish Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
13. Reading, Pamela. "How Esher changed between 1850 and 1918" (PDF). Esher District Local History Society. p. 1. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
14. Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth Peter (1898). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. 1. Harrison & Sons. p. 358.
15. A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. London: Victoria County History. 1911. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
16. "New council offices for Esher U.D.C." Municipal Engineering and the Sanitary Record. 30 November 1922. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
17. Mansion for a Municipality. The Municipal Journal and Public Works Engineer. 22 February 1924. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
18. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN   0-10-547072-4.
19. "No. 46812". The London Gazette . 30 January 1976. p. 1594.
20. "Travellers could face court order". News Shopper. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
21. "Review of the year: The stories that made the headlines in Kingston, Richmond and Elmbridge in 1998". News Shopper. 2 January 1999. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
22. Oxley, Richard (2015). Survey and Repair of Traditional Buildings A Conservation and Sustainable Approach. Taylor and Francis. p. 176. ISBN   978-1317742135.
23. "Sandown House". Fine and Country. Retrieved 4 July 2024.