Hello world,
My passion is history, my love is heritage and my interests lie in the historic architecture of England.
During the current Coronavirus Pandemic and lockdown, this has resonated with me extensively, to the point that, three months in I have been seeking out new local sites to visit, and hopefully help the United Kingdom’s Heritage Sector, supporting these independent charities that preserve our history for ours and future generations.
While driving through Sussex in the south of England on Thursday 9th July 2020, I passed a ruined castle. I turned around the roundabout and drove right into the car park – what unexpected adventure was to await me?
Walking down the pathway towards the ruins was quite an eery feeling. There was only a handful of people around and it was quite clear this site was not yet open for visitors. We walked right around the outside, crossing the River Rother where children were playing in the sandbanks, passing Tudoresque houses and round towards a rugby pitch and then the famous Cowdray Polo field.
In the Parish of Easebourne, just near Midhurst in West Sussex, this Tudor House of which the ruins survive was built in around 1520. Hosting visitors for over two centuries, Cowdray entertained both King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I.
There was previously a manor house built in the 1270s by Sir John de Bohun, from the noble family of Norman origins. King Edward I and his son, later Edward II both visited the manor.
There was a hive of activity on the site until Henry VIII’s great-uncle received Cowdrey, then spelled ‘Coudreye’ in 1496 through his marriage into the Bohun family. He then proceeded to rebuild the Tudor style house in a grand design befitting the extended family of the English royal family. Well, English and Welsh royal family (the Tudor’s were Welsh in heritage, yet this isn’t the British royal family yet as the country did not unite with Scotland and Ireland for a century or so later. Please correct me if I’m naming this wrong!)
Sir William Fitzwilliam gained possession of the house after Owen died in 1533. This acquisition would lead to a fatal ‘curse’ on Sir William’s half-brother, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and the Browne family, cursing ‘by fire and water’ so legend has it.
Over the next hundred years or so, there were many changes in the monarchy and political unrest, where the Cowdray estate was seized by Parliament during the Civil War. Upon reinstatement, one of my favourite men throughout history – Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (I mean, what a name! I’ll write a collection of articles about him soon!) came to the rescue! Brown redesigned the parkland and formal gardens, completed in 1770… then the curse beckoned…
A chaotic fire, blazing through the historic house ravaged the property on 24th September 1793, ironically just weeks before the 8th Viscount Montague, died by drowning. Without heirs, the title passed to his sister’s two sons, who also died by drowning in 1815, ending the male line. Fire and water ended the story of the Cowdray estate…
Well, until today as this story continues and will continue for I hope many years. The ruins were opened to the public in 2007 and restoration work continues (albeit after lockdown).
I hadn’t known this site was here until I passed by, so I am very much looking forward to visiting properly when tickets can be sold and I can enter the ruins.
The current Viscountess Cowdray refurbished the Tower Room to become a Renaissance Art Studio as she is an artist and sculptress herself. I hope to visit this one day, as I am from a family of creatives myself!!
To learn more about Cowdray’s heritage and keep up to date on when the site opens again, please check out their website: https://www.cowdray.co.uk/
After a walk across the rugby pitch, I’m looking forward to watching a game here and answer my question of ‘how on earth do they protect the ruins from the rugby balls?’
Love Curls x
Curls Around The World 