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| Bateman's Borde Hill Great Dixter High Beeches Gardens Highdown Gardens Leonardslee Gardens Merriments Gardens Nymans Garden Pashley Manor Gardens Sheffield Park Gardens Standen Wakehurst Place |
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The house is surrounded by a beautiful 12 acre hillside garden of wild flowers, azaleas, rhododendrons, roses and ferns. There is an orchard, croquet lawn, quarry garden and rose garden, also woodland walks. The garden commands views over the Medway Valley and Weir-wood reservoir towards the Ashdown Forest, the views are best seen from the Top Terrace and Summerhouse.
Standen was built over two years starting in 1892 for a wealthy London solicitor James Beale his wife Margaret and large family of seven children. The architect was Philip Webb a lifelong friend of William Morris the pioneering designer and author. Webb's design was both traditional and highly practical, suited to the needs of both the family and their staff. Webb incorporated Morris & Co. wallpapers and textiles throughout the house, which inspired Margaret Beale and her daughters to produce elaborate embroidery hangings based on his designs.
The resulting design is one of the finest surviving examples of Morris and Company's work in a domestic setting, which I personally still found desirable in 2005.
Following James Beales death in 1912, the house continued to be occupied by his widow and later by his daughters. The youngest child Helen bequeathed the house and garden to the National trust in 1972, so that this unique example of late Victorian design and craftsmanship might be preserved. Standen is located off the A22 near East Grinstead in West Sussex.
| *Link to official site for viewing Visitor Information* |
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