Hatchlands Park is a red-brick country house with surrounding gardens in East Clandon, Surrey, England, covering 170 hectares (430 acres). It is located near Guildford along the A246 between East Clandon and West Horsley. Hatchlands Park has been a Grade I listed property since 1967. The gardens were Grade II listed in 2007.

History

The park initially belonged to the Chertsey Abbey with the park being mentioned in the Domesday Book. In 1544, after the dissolution of the monasteries, it was granted by Henry VIII to Sir Anthony Browne and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald ('The Fair Geraldine' of Henry Howard). The first visual record of the park is shown on a John Seller map of 1693.

The park was purchased in 1750 by Admiral Edward Boscawen who landscaped the grounds; for the house he employed the architect Stiff Leadbetter, with Robert Adam designing some interiors. Edward Boscawen's widow, Fanny sold the estate in 1770 to the Sumner family of the East India Company; both father and son made further alterations to the property.

The interior

The house contains splendid interiors by Robert Adam, decorated in appropriately nautical style: anchors, cannon, dolphins and sea-nymphs are presided over by Neptune himself run through the house reflecting its first owner Edward Boscawen. Many of the instruments are associated with famous composers. The instruments include harpsichords and fortepianos dating from 1750 to 1840 – including an Erard pianoforte reputedly made for Marie Antoinette. It is one of the few French instruments of the time to escape destruction for firewood following the 1789 French Revolution. The pieces were brought together to represent those instrument makers who were highly regarded or patronised by composers, rather than to illustrate a complete or technical history of keyboard manufacture. Twelve of the instruments were actually owned or played by great composers such as Purcell, J. C. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Mahler and Elgar.

Hatchlands also houses part of the Cobbe collection of paintings, including what is claimed to be one of only two surviving portraits of William Shakespeare painted during his lifetime.

References

  • Hatchlands Park site at the UK National Trust.
  • The Cobbe Collection Includes details of concerts and photos of instruments
  • Video featuring the Ruckers-Hemsch harpsichord from The Cobbe Collection