Ditton Place Including Attached Terrace Wall and Sandstone Wall to West, Ansty and Staplefield, West Sussex

Description

1144/0/10065
04-FEB-03

BALCOMBE
BRANTRIDGE LANE
Ditton Place, including attached terrace wall and sandstone wall to west

GV
II*

Large house, later school. Built in 1904 by the firm of Cecil Brewer and Dunbar Smith in Neo William and Mary style. The client was A B Horne, the owner of Prudential Insurance, who seems to have used the house as a summer residence. Built in red brick with stone dressings which include deep bracket cornice, pilasters and keystones and a hipped Cumberland slate roof with six tall brick chimneystacks. Main house of two storeys and attics eleven bays but there is further service end of two storeys four windows of lower height to the north. Windows are mainly sashes but there are casements to the service wing.
EXTERIOR: Principal feature of east or entrance front is a central projecting curved pediment with brackets and end quoins, first floor window in elaborate surround with finialled keystone and below a semi-circular balcony with curved stone porch with four Ionic columns and two pilasters and double door, each side having seven panels and elaborate doorknockers. The balcony is dated 1904 in stone diamond-shaped tablets with central tablet with raised arm motif and the letter H (for Horne)nd the initials J A B D. There are three recessed bays on either side with cambered dormers, 12-pane sashes to first floor and 15-pane sashes to the ground floor and on each side the end two bays project under a hipped roof with similar dormer and sash windows but there are no windows to the ground floor left hand side and the right hand side has a further doorcase with flat hood and brackets. The service end has casements to the first floor, mullioned and transomed casements to the ground floor and doorcase with round-headed hood on brackets.
The south elevation has six windows and is carefully asymmetrical with one oval window with deep carved floral decoration and two similar blanks to the first floor and a canted bay to the ground floor.
West or garden front has a recessed centre of five bays with slightly projecting central bay with colonnade below with round-headed windows behind. The two end bays on each side project under hipped roofs with oval windows on the returns. To the left of this is a section of four bays comprising owner's flat on first floor and Dining Room on ground floor with cambered windows to ground floor and doorcase with cambered stone hood supported on brackets with two-light fanlight and two-panelled door, the top panel curved. The corner has a gable end ornamental dovecote with dove holes and stone flight perch and weatherhood. Also attached to this front is an C18 or earlier sandstone wall from the earlier house on the site and attached terrace walls.
The north side has a gable and six casement windows and a round-headed arch leads to the former stables.
INTERIOR: Almost complete interior with high quality fittings. Central vestibule has a green marble bolection-moulded fireplace and black and white marble floors. The long Gallery has a vaulted roof, marble bolection-moulded fireplaces, two round-headed niches and carved surround to Drawing Room door which is of mahogany with ebony infill. The Drawing Room or Salon to the south has a plastered ceiling, walnut doors and carved bolection-moulding, marble fireplace with overmantel with console brackets, clustered pilasters and round-headed niches on each side of the fireplace. The Library in the south east corner has a ribbed ceiling with rectangular and circular panels, a wooden fireplace with square panel, paterae and pilasters and five built-in library bookshelves. A rear room has a green marble bolection-moulded fireplace with oak surround, deep panelling with dado rail and two-panelled doors. The Dining Room has a fireplace with cast iron firegrate, two round-headed niches with keystones and carved heads to doors. Service quarter retains original fittings including cellar with slate wine bins, gun cupboard with safe, scullery with roof light and original cupboards, one larder with tiles and wooden shelves and a further larder with marble shelf and tiled walls. The service staircase is of dogleg type with stick balusters and square newel posts. The main staircase has a wide enclosed flight with dado panelling which leads to a semi-circular feature with balustrading. An original gas chandelier hangs over the staircase.There is also a gallery with four tapering piers and turned balusters. The first floor contains Mr Horne's flat with marble fireplace, wooden fireplace with cast iron firegrate, panelling and cupboards. There is a bathroom with original green tiles, original wash hand basin and towel rail, the corridor incorporates a tiled fireplace, two front bedrooms have original fireplaces and a rear right side bedroom has a jewellery safe and fireplace with anthemion motifs, green marble and cast iron firegrate. Mrs Horne's Dressing Room has built-in cupboards and a corner fireplace. A front bedroom has corner bolection-moulded fireplace with stepped display unit and built-in wardrobe. There is a plain marble fireplace to the nanny's room and a maid's room has a fireplace and cupboard. An unusual feature of the attics is the two dormitories to house the owner's cricket team, brought in to play against the Duke of Arundel's team. Each dormitory has a brick fireplace with round-headed arches, one with built-in seating, the other incorporating tiles on edge. The attics also house a large linen store, a Butler's bedroom with round-headed fireplace and a staff dormitory with marble fireplace incorporating wooden seats.
HISTORY: 1904 house replaced an older manor house, later called "Sunnyside" which was home to the English author and playwright Charles Reade in the late C19. Gardens were designed for the older house by Reginald Blomfield and left undisturbed when the new house was built. Ditton Place was in use as a single residence until the Second World War, when it was used as a base by the Canadian forces. Then it was taken over by the ILEA for use as a special needs school.

["Country Life" 1st July 1911 in "Country Gardens Old and New."
Ian Nairn and Nikolaus Pevsner "Buildings of England" p73 and p402.]

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