Albury, near Guildford
Surrey
England
Circa Date: 16th century, incorporating earlier elements, w/17th, 18th, 19th & 21st century alterations and additions
Status: Fully Extant
House Open to Public: No
Country House: Yes
The house from an early 20th century postcard
Earlier Houses: An earlier house on the site was destroyed by fire in 1697 and replaced by the current house, which incorporates part of the older house's cellars.
House & Family History: In 1763 George III held his coronation ball in Albury Park's great room, today the library. In 1819 the Albury Estate was purchased by the banker Henry Drummond, who, between 1846 and 1852, commissioned A.W.N. Pugin (possibly with the assistance of his son) to remodel and redesign the house in the Victorian Tudor-Gothic style, including the addition of 63 individually-designed chimneys. In 1890, after the death of Drummond's daughter, the estate passed to the family of the dukes of Northumberland (Drummond's daughter had married into the family). Albury Park was leased to the Mutual Households Association after World War II; after they vacated it was unoccupied throughout the 1960s; in 1969 the house was sold to the forerunner of the Country Houses Association, a retirement community that financially collapsed circa 2002. In May 2004 Albury was purchased by Nigel and Jennifer Whalley, who significantly refurbished the house and redeveloped it into 12 luxury flats.
Garden & Outbuildings: John Evelyn, who created the park for the 6th Duke of Norfolk in the late 17th century, built a Nymphaeum with a half-moon pond, a Roman-style bath house, canals, cascades, and bridges. There is also a pair of parallel terraces, each retained by red brick walls and lavender hedges. The 150-acre estate remains in the ownership of the Duke of Northumberland.
Chapel & Church: St. Paul’s Church, which was used for the filming of "Four Weddings and a Funeral," is on the estate.
Architect: John Evelyn
Date: 1697Architect: John Soane
Date: 1800Architect: George Hakewill
Date: Early 19th centuryArchitect: Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
Date: 1846-52John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. II, p. 85, 1853.
John Preston (J.P.) Neale, published under the title of Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, among other titles: 2.S. Vol. III, 1826.
Country Life: CVIII, 598, 674, 1950.
Title: Walford's County Families of the United Kingdom, 1914
Author: NA
Year Published: 1914
Reference: pg. 900
Publisher: London: Spottiswoode & Co.
ISBN: NA
Book Type: Hardback
Title: England's Lost Houses From the Archives of Country Life
Author: Worsley, Giles
Year Published: 2002
Reference: pg. 9
Publisher: London: Aurum Press
ISBN: 1854108204
Book Type: Hardback
Title: Country Life (magazine)
Author: NA
Year Published: NA
Reference: Jul 4, 2002, pg. 92
Publisher: London: Future plc
ISBN: NA
Book Type: Magazine
Title: Disintegration of a Heritage: Country Houses and their Collections, 1979-1992, The
Author: Sayer, Michael
Year Published: 1993
Publisher: Norfolk: Michael Russell (Publishing)
ISBN: 0859551970
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade II*
Park Listed: Grade I
Past Seat / Home of: Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, mid-17th century. Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford, late 17th century. Samuel Thornton, early 19th century. Henry Drummond, 19th century; Drummond family here from 1819 until 1890. Algernon George Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland, 19th century; Percy family here from 1890 until 1969.
Current Ownership Type: Flat Owners Company / Condo Association
Primary Current Ownership Use: Flats / Multi Family
House Open to Public: No
Phone: 01483-202-964
Historic Houses Member: No