Leith Hill Place a place for beauty and genius

WelcomeFinding out moreLeith Hill PlaceLeith Hill Lane, near Coldharbour village, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6LYTelephone 01306 711 685 Email leithhillplace@nationaltrust.org.uk

nationaltrust.org.uk/leith-hill-place

“The composer must not shut himself up and think about art, he must live with his fellows and make his art an expression of the whole community – if we seek for art we shall not find it.”

For alternative formats, please call us on 01306 711 685 or emailleithhillplace@nationaltrust.org.ukSoundscape concept, creative design and script*: Gabrielle GaleSound design, recording, editing and installation: Jay HarrisVoices: Lindy Alexander, Alison Jermyn, Brian Kay, Virginia McKenna OBE, Patrick Newberry, Sir Richard Stilgoe

Letters used by kind permission of Hugh Cobbe and the Vaughan Williams Charitable TrustMusical excerpts EMI Classics, licensed by mcps

*Acknowledgements: RVW – A Biography of Ralph Vaughan Williams by Ursula Vaughan Williams; Vaughan Williams by James Day; recollections by members of the Wedgwood family

Photography: © National Trust Images/Andrew ButlerRalph Vaughan Williams, manuscript and letter: Copyright VW Charitable TrustCharles Darwin: Reproduced with permission from John van Wyhe, Editor, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin

Printed on 100% recycled paper. Please recycle this leaflet after use© National Trust 2016. National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846

A place for beauty and geniusSet in rolling hills with unrivalled views over the Surrey countryside, Leith Hill Place has been home to a succession of creative minds and inspirational thinkers.

From the artistic energy that led Caroline Wedgwood to design the stunning rhododendron wood, to the musical genius of one of our greatest English composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams – wonderful things happen here.

Charles Darwin’s gifts of observation and endless quest for scientific truth inspired his nieces who lived here to intellectual curiosity as they assisted in his experiments. Sir Ralph Wedgwood, one of the last of that family to call this place home, was knighted in 1924 as the architect of the London and North Eastern Railway network.

Impressive portraits by great masters and stunning Wedgwood ceramic pieces have also inhabited these spaces.

So as you tread these floors and gaze out over the magnificent view, imagine those who have done so before you. The façade may be in need of some attention and the interior is far from pristine, but this is a special place. And now you have the opportunity to experience it and watch it develop.

Be at peace. Be inspired. Feel close to nature and imagine a lark ascending…

‘The arts are the means by which we look through the magic casements and see what lies beyond’ Ralph Vaughan Williams

1628 First mention of ‘Leith’ in local parish records as contributing to the fencing at Ockley parish church; owner not named1664–1706 Mary Millet 1706–1725 John Worsfold of Ockley1725–1748 Lieutenant-General John Folliot – only heir, daughter Susannah, predeceased him1748–1754 Held by trustees, then sold1754–1772 Richard Hull, who built Leith Hill Tower 1765. Left no heir

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1 Main entrance

2 Entrance hall

3 Study

4 Wedgwood Room

5 Inner hall

6 Access to cellar

7 Terrace Room8 Dining Room

9 Kitchen corridor

10 Scullery

11 Access to courtyard garden

12 Kitchen13 Courtyard garden 14 Dairy

Vaughan Williams display rooms15

16 First floor landing 1 7 2nd hand books

and sheet music 18 Activity room 19 Drawing Room 20 Start of tour 21 End of tour

WC Toilets

Getting the most from your visit

Timeline of owners/occupiers of Leith Hill Place

Ground floor

Private

Closed to the public

Closed to the public

Access to South Terrace

No access to terrace

Private

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Key

Ground floor Terrace Room – Music, concerts. Seating to relax, read, listen or enjoy the view.

Dining Room – Tables and chairs to enjoy your tea.

Wedgwood Room – Comfortable seating, piano for visitor use, items of pottery and information about Wedgwood.

Kitchen – Refreshments (self serve, by donation). Volunteers baking at selected times.

Study – Ralph Vaughan Williams’ piano and other historical items.

First floor

Activity room – Family activities, colouring

Drawing Room – Enjoy the glorious view. Exhibition space

Landing – Meeting point for second floor tour

Second floor - guided tour onlySoundscape – The life and music of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

An audio experience telling the story of RVW’s early life, and his later years as seen through the lens of his music and contemporary letters.

What’s happening, whereFirst floor

Second floor

1772–1777 Held in trust by Hull’s nephew Richard Supple and funded Hull’s many legacies1777–1788 Harry Thompson, Oporto merchant1788–1824 Philip William Perrin Lived at nearby ‘Parkhurst’; rented Leith Hill Place to: 1788–1810 George Waldron 1810–1833 Rev. George Keylock Rusden who ran it as a school

1827–1829 Sir John Fitzherbert Bart

1829–1847 John Smallpiece, treasurer of the county

1847–1880 Josiah Wedgwood III (married Caroline Darwin, sister of Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist)

1880–1888 Caroline Wedgwood

1888–1911 Sophy Wedgwood (daughter of Josiah and Caroline)

1911–1937 Margaret Vaughan Williams

1937–1944 Hervey Vaughan Williams

1944–1945 Ralph Vaughan Williams

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Tenants:

1945–1956 Sir Ralph Wedgwood Bt, knighted in 1924, hereditary title of Baronet conferred in 1942

1956–1965 Sir John Wedgwood Bt

1965–1972 2nd Lord Keyes (son of the noted British Admiral) – ran the house as a 6th form ‘crammer college’

1972–2008 Hurtwood House School – used house as boarding accommodation

July 2013 Trial opening to the public by the National Trust

Closed to

the public

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Timeline of Vaughan Williams' life and short video

Please return this sheet to the front desk once you have finished with it