Near Penshurst, Sevenoaks
Kent
England
Circa Date: 1840, incorporating elements of earlier house, w/late 19th century additions and alterations
Status: Fully Extant
House Open to Public: No
Country House: Yes
An 1838 hand-colored lithograph of the house from Greenwood's "Epitome for the History of Kent"
Earlier Houses: There was an earlier house on the site called Workhouse Farm.
House & Family History: Edward VII was a regular visitor to Swaylands in the early 20th century. Sir Ernest Joseph Cassel, the fabulously wealthy banker, purchased Swaylands in 1919 and converted it into a hospital for functional nervous disorders for soldiers returning from World War I (the hospital opened in 1921). During World War II Swaylands was requisitioned for use as a military hospital. After the war Middlesex County Council purchased the estate and opened Swaylands as a "special needs residential school for boys” in 1949. The school closed in 1994, amid multiple charges of abuse of students by adult staff members. The house was converted into flats in 2010.
Garden & Outbuildings: In 2010 two new buildings, Woodgate Manor and Drummond Hall, on the Swaylands Estate were completed. Like the main house, these new buildings are comprised of flats. The stableblock has been divided into six homes.
Architect: Mervyn Edmund Macartney
Date: 1879-82Architect: George Devey
Date: 1870sHouse Listed: Grade II
Park Listed: Grade II
Past Seat / Home of: George Harrison, early 19th century. William Woodgate, 1840-59. Edward Cropper, 1859-77. George James Drummond, 1877-1917.
Current Ownership Type: Flat Owners Company / Condo Association
Primary Current Ownership Use: Flats / Multi Family
Ownership Details: In 2010 the house was divided into 28 flats
House Open to Public: No
Historic Houses Member: No