A tinted lithograph of the house by A. Butler from "Burke's Visitation of Seats," 1853.
Earlier Houses: There was an earlier 18th century house on the site, elements of which were incorporated into the current house.
Built / Designed For: Samuel Farmer
House & Family History: Nonsuch Park is not related to the more famous Nonsuch Palace of Henry VIII, though it is sited to the northeast of the king's palace and is the last surviving part of the Little Park of Nonsuch, a deer hunting park established by Henry VIII that surrounded Nonsuch Palace. Nonsuch Park is a two-story asymmetrical house in the Picturesque Tudor Gothic style that features a three-story central tower and a kitchen wing that was part of the earlier 18th century house.
Garden & Outbuildings: The house sits in a 600-acre estate.
Architect: Jeffry Wyatville (Wyattville) (Wyatt)
Date: 1802-06John 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. I, p. 214, 1852. Vol. II, p. 252, 1853.
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Reference: pg. 1130
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
Title: Buildings of England: Surrey, The
Author: Nairn, Ian; Pevsner; Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (Reviser)
Year Published: 1971
Reference: pg. 387
Publisher: London: Penguin Books
ISBN: 140710213
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade II*
Park Listed: Grade II
Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSE: Thomson-Whately family, 17th century. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: Samuel Farmer, early 19th century; Farmer family here from 1800 until 1936.
Current Ownership Type: Government
Primary Current Ownership Use: Mixed Use
Ownership Details: Since 1936 owned by Surrey County Council; today a museum, education center, and catering facility.