The house has its origins in a 16th-century house, which was built by Sir John Gresham (1495–1556) on the site of an earlier dwelling. The mostly Tudor house was demolished and rebuilt in the 18th century, before being refronted in 1826. Finally a tower was added in 1856.
History
In the Middle Ages, Titsey was owned by the Uvedale family.[1] It was then an important house in the area, and its Uvedale owners were High Sheriffs of Surrey several times between 1393 and 1464, and also several times High Sheriffs of Hampshire between 1388 and 1493.
Sir John Gresham's heir was William Gresham, whose son was Sir Thomas Gresham (died 1630), whose son and heir was Sir Edward Gresham. The house and estate passed through several generations of the Gresham family, who were created Baronets by Charles II at the time of his Restoration in 1660. The successive baronets were Sir Marmaduke Gresham, 1st Baronet (1627-1696), Sir Edward Gresham, 2nd Baronet (1649-1709), Sir Charles Gresham, 3rd Baronet (1660-1718), Sir Marmaduke Gresham, 4th Baronet (1700-1742), Sir Charles Gresham, 5th Baronet (died 1750), and Sir John Gresham, 6th and last Baronet (1735-1801). Through the marriage of the heiress of the last Gresham, the house passed to the Leveson-Gowers, a branch of the family of the Dukes of Sutherland.[2]
A Tudor house on the site was demolished and rebuilt by the last Gresham baronet in the 18th century, then in 1826 was given new fronts designed by William Atkinson. A tower by Philip Charles Hardwick was added in 1856.[3]
John Preston Neale's Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland (1821) notes that "The Mansion... stands in a beautiful dell formed by a range of lofty chalk hills sheltering it from the north."[4]A Topographical History of Surrey (1844) says of the house -
Titsey-Place, the residence of William Leveson Gower, esq., is a modern structure, pleasantly situated at an angle of the road from Limpsfield to Croydon, through Warlingham, and opposite to the present church. The ancient manor house was razed to the ground by Sir John Gresham, the last baronet, who erected the new mansion on its site. It has been greatly improved by its present owner, and has now, from the extensive plantations by which it is surrounded, a very handsome appearance. In the library is a very fine portrait of Sir Thomas Gresham, founder of the Royal Exchange, painted by Sir Antonio More...[5]
Many of the Uvedales are buried in the garden of Titsey Place, which contains the former parish graveyard. The last Gresham of Titsey pulled down the ancient parish church in 1776 and incorporated its site into his park. In 1865, a large yew-tree marked the location of the former church.[1]
The Leveson Gowers remained at Titsey until Thomas Leveson Gower died in 1992. By his Will, a charitable trust was established to preserve the house and gardens for the benefit of the public.[2] The remainder of the estate was left to his heir, David Innes, who was also appointed Governor of the charitable trust.
Present day
House
The house is especially noted for its fine collection of family portraits, many of which are hung in the main entrance hall. Such noted artists as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Peter Lely are represented. The new dining room has four paintings of Venice by Canaletto. The panelled sitting-room has a notable antiquarian interior and the gallery bedroom has an impressive Georgian style.[7]
Gardens
After being left in a run-down state by the Army after World War II, the majority of the gardens were restored by Thomas Smith and his team. Smith also built up a very impressive orchid collection and grew fruit and vegetables in the kitchen-garden for the estate and for the greengrocers in nearby Oxted. Since 1992, the house and remainder of the gardens have been restored and the kitchen-garden changed to a more Victorian style. Both are open to the public in the summer. In the wider estate of 3,000 acres (1,200ha), miles of woodland walks along the edge of the North Downs are used by over 20,000 visitors a year.[2]
Duke of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford. A series of marriages to heiresses by members of the Leveson-Gower family made the dukes of Sutherland one of the richest landowning families in the United Kingdom. The title remained in the Leveson-Gower family until the death of the 5th Duke of Sutherland in 1963, when it passed to the 5th Earl of Ellesmere from the Egerton family.
Oxted is a town and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Croydon, 9 miles (14 km) west of Sevenoaks, and 9 miles (14 km) north of East Grinstead.
Sir Henry Dudley Gresham Leveson Gower was an English cricketer from the Leveson-Gower family. He played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Surrey and captained England in Test cricket. His school nickname "Shrimp" remained with him through his life, but few cricket sources refer to him by anything other than his initials. He was a selector for the England cricket team, and a cricketing knight.
Limpsfield is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs close to Oxted railway station and the A25. The composer Frederick Delius, orchestral conductor Sir Thomas Beecham and clarinettist Jack Brymer are buried in the village churchyard. The village contains 89 listed buildings.
Woldingham is a village and civil parish high on the North Downs between Oxted and Warlingham in Surrey, England, within the M25, 17.5 miles (28.2 km) southeast of London. The village has 2,141 inhabitants, many of whom commute to London, making Woldingham part of the London commuter belt. The village is served by the Oxted line and central London can be reached in 33 minutes by train.
Tatsfield is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. It is located 3.3 miles north west of Westerham and 3.9 miles north east of Oxted, and is adjacent to the Surrey border with both Greater London and Kent.
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate in the fields of Lilleshall, Shropshire, England.
Sir John Gresham was an English merchant, courtier and financier who worked for King Henry VIII of England, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. He was Lord Mayor of London and founded Gresham's School. He was the brother of Sir Richard Gresham.
Sir Henry Neville of Billingbear House, Berkshire, was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King Henry VIII.
The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex.
Titsey is a rural village and a civil parish on the North Downs almost wholly within the M25 London Orbital Motorway in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England.
Chelsham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Chelsham and Farleigh and the Tandridge district of Surrey, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Green Belt, 15.3 miles (24.6 km) from London, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Oxted and 23.8 miles (38.3 km) from Guildford. In 1961 the parish had a population of 1285.
Frederick Archibald Gresham Leveson Gower was an English first-class cricketer and clergyman. He was a member of the Leveson-Gower family. He played first-class cricket for several teams between 1894 and 1909, while as a clergyman he held a number of ecclesiastical posts across the South of England.
Sir Marmaduke Gresham, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660 and from 1685 to 1689.
Sir Thomas Gresham was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1604 and 1622.
Sir Edward Littleton of Pillaton Hall, 4th Baronet, was a long-lived Staffordshire landowner and MP from the extended Littleton/Lyttelton family, who represented Staffordshire in the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of the United Kingdom for a total of 28 years. The last of the Littleton Baronets of Pillaton Hall, he transferred the family seat from eponymous Pillaton to Teddesley Hall, and died childless, leaving the estates to his great-nephew, Edward Walhouse, who became Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton.
Sir John Leveson was an English politician. He was instrumental in putting down the Essex rebellion of 8 February 1601.
Colin McIver was an English cricketer. He played for Essex between 1902 and 1934.
Granville William Gresham Leveson-Gower JP DL FSA was a British Liberal Party politician.
Sir William Uvedale was an English soldier and courtier.
References
1 2 Granville William Gresham Leveson-Gower (1856), Notices of the family of Uvedale of Titsey, Surrey, and Wickham, Hants, pp. 3-4
↑ J. P. Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, vol. 4 (Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1821), p. 126
↑ A Topographical History of Surrey, vol. 4, part 1 (R. B. Ede, 1844), pp. 204-205
↑ Alan Gibson, The Cricket Captains of England (1989), p. 112
The administrative centre is Oxted. The largest town is Caterham. Three of the post towns have urban centres Caterham, Godstone and Oxted. Lingfield and Warlingham are major villages which have post town status. The others are outside the area.
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