Polesden Lacey
(vero;2023-Nov-21)
Polesden Lacey is a National Trust property located in Surrey, east of Guildford in the village of Great Bookham. The entrance fee to the house and the gardens was 15£ for non-members when we visited in 2023, the car park was 4£ (free for members). Click here for up-to-date visitor information and follow this link to browse the art collection of Polesden Lacey.
The house belonged to Margaret Greville (1863-1942) and her husband Ronald (1864-1908). Theirs was a high profile couple: Ronald was a MP for Bradford East and brought the political and social connections; Margaret, the daughter of a brewery millionaire, brought the money. It is her father who bought Polesden Lacey for them in 1906; Ronald died two years later of pneumonia followed by her father in 1913, leaving her a wealthy heiress. Margaret did not remarry and became a high society hostess, doing nothing with her life but spend her fortune by entertaining the rich and powerful of the day with lavish receptions and presents (with a predilection for royalty), travel the world and buy works of art. As you can read between the lines, we were disappointed: by the vacuity of the character, by her art collection, by the house itself. The best thing is surely its location providing a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside.
We have visited quite a few of those stately homes; they often have an interesting historical connection or outstanding art collections, but there wasn't much here other than the gossip of early 20th-century high society and the fact that King George VI and Elizabeth (Queen Mom) spent two weeks of their honeymoon there. Margaret was so friendly with the latter that she bequeathed her all her jewels which are still in the possession of the Royal family, among others a honeycomb-patterned diamond tiara (known as the Greville Tiara) which was a favourite of Queen Mom, and is now worn frequently by Queen Camilla.
Go back to Petworth House or go on to Local Walks or go up to Basingstoke and Around
$updated from: Basingstoke and Around.htxt Mon 04 Mar 2024 16:04:46 trvl2 (By Vero and Thomas Lauer)$