Cowdray Park, West Sussex

Cowdray Park is a country house at the centre of the 16,500-acre (6,700-hectare) Cowdray Estate in Midhurst, West Sussex.

A picture of Cowdray Park published in 1880.

The park lies in the South Downs National Park. The estate belongs to Viscount Cowdray, whose family have owned it since 1909. It has a golf course, and it offers clay pigeon shooting and corporate activity days, as well as the more traditional activities of agriculture, forestry and property lets.

History
Ruins of Cowdray House

The estate was owned by the Bohun family from approximately 1185.[1] Sir David Owen, son of Owen Tudor, built Cowdray House in the 16th century. His son sold the estate to William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton in 1529. His half-brother Sir Anthony Browne inherited the estate in 1542. Browne's son Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu inherited in 1548. The 7th Viscount employed Capability Brown to landscape the park in 1770. The park and gardens are Grade II* listed.[1] On 25 September 1793, a fire destroyed Cowdray House, reducing it to its present ruined state.[2] The ruins are Grade I listed.[3] In 2005 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £2.7m towards the cost of stabilising the ruins and they were opened to the public on 31 March 2007.[4]

The 7th Viscount's daughter married William Stephen Poyntz. On his death in 1840, the estate was purchased by George Perceval, 6th Earl of Egmont. The present house was built by his son Charles Perceval, 7th Earl of Egmont in the 1870s.[2] It was purchased in 1909 by Weetman Pearson, later 1st Viscount Cowdray, who restored the house. His son made further alterations in 1927.[2]

During the Second World War it was occupied by the Royal Army Service Corps. After the war, architect Percy Wheeler made alterations for the 3rd Viscount. The house was refurbished by the 4th Viscount from 1995. It is Grade II listed.[2] Numerous other aspects of the estate are listed.[1]

In May 2009 Lord Cowdray sought to turn the house into a country house hotel, but the project was abandoned when Cowdray failed to find a business partner.[5] Cowdray moved to another family property at Fernhurst.[6] The following year, in September 2010, the house was put on the market for £25 million, not including the rest of the estate.[5][7] Michael Pearson, the fourth Viscount Cowdray, claimed that he did not want his son to inherit the burden of maintaining the house.[5] However, as of September 2011, Lord Cowdray had not found a buyer for the house and it was withdrawn from sale. It was later converted to a hotel and venue.

The collection housed within Cowdray Park was auctioned in situ by Christie's over three days, between 13 and 15 September 2011.[8] Among the objects sold were furniture, silver, paintings, tapestries and porcelain, with a portrait previously identified as Queen Elizabeth I (but now considered more likely to be Catherine Howard, née Carey, Countess of Nottingham) achieving the highest auction price of £325,250.[9] In total, the auction raised £7.9 million.[9]

Cowdray Park Polo Club

The estate is home to the Cowdray Park Polo Club, which describes itself as the "Home of British Polo".[10] The club was founded in 1910. The Cowdray Gold Cup tournament was inaugurated in 1956.[11]

Notes
  1. "Cowdray House, Easebourne - 1001210". historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  2. "Cowdray Park, Easebourne - 1401451". historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  3. "The Ruins of Cowdray House, Easebourne, West Sussex". historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  4. Cowdray Ruins, accessed 25 July 2007
  5. Wardrop, Murray (9 September 2010). "Polo paradise: Cowdray Park House up for sale for £25m". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  6. Midhurst and Petworth Observer, 21 May 2009
  7. "Cowdray Park House goes on the market for £25m". BBC News. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  8. "The Cowdray Sale: Works of art from Cowdray Park and Dunecht House". Christie's. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  9. Lumley, Ruth. "Cowdray Park sale fetches £7.9 million". The Argus. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  10. "Cowdray Park Polo Club". Chichester District Council. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  11. "The Club". Cowdray Park Polo Club. Retrieved 28 June 2022.

50.98724°N 0.71619°W / 50.98724; -0.71619

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