South Harting, near Petersfield
West Sussex
England
Circa Date: 1685-90 w/18th, 19th & 20th century alterations and additions
Status: Fully Extant
House Open to Public: Yes
Country House: Yes
The entrance facade
Front and side facades
The entrance facade doorway
The kitchen wing
The drawing room
The little parlour
The saloon
The saloon
Plasterwork on saloon ceiling
The tapestry room
The Vandalian Tower from a circa 1900 postcard
Built / Designed For: Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville
House & Family History: Uppark is a fine late 17th century house situated high on the South Downs with magnificent views toward the Solent. The Prince Regent, later George IV, was a frequent visitor to the house in the late 18th century during the ownership of Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh. H.G. Wells's mother was housekeeper here in the late 19th century and the servants' quarters below stairs are shown today as they were during her days at Uppark. The house was famously gutted by fire in 1989 and painstakingly restored between 1990 and 1993.
Collections: Uppark contains a Grand Tour collection that includes fine furniture, ceramics, and paintings, much of which was saved from the 1989 fire. There is also an 18th century dolls' house, complete with its original contents. On August 25, 2021 five pieces of early 19th century French decorative arts were stolen from the saloon at Uppark. The losses included an ormolu and marble mantel clock with a figure of Apollo, a pair of Sèvres vases depicting Danaë and the Venus of Urbino, and a pair of bronze candelabra on marble plinths. Interestingly, the clock and the vases were also stolen during a 2004 burglary (they were recovered in 2012).
Garden & Outbuildings: The Gothick style Vandallian Tower (see "Images" section), built to commemorate the short-lived British colony of Vandalia, sits on the summit of Tower Hill on the Uppark Estate (it is owned by the Fetherstonhaugh family, not the National Trust). The late 18th century folly, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, was partly destroyed by fire in 1842 and is today ruinous. The Uppark garden has been restored to the early 19th century picturesque style.
Architect: Daniel Garrett
Date: 1748-53Architect: John Jenner
Date: 1723-25Architect: Henry Keene
Date: 1774-75Architect: John Adey Repton
Date: 1810-13Architect: Humphry Repton
Date: 1805Architect: William Talman
Date: Circa 1685-90John 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: Vol. IV, 1821.
Country Life: XXVII, 702, 1910. LXXXIX, 520, 540, 562, 1941.
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - HARDBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 2008
Reference: pgs. 412, 574, 606, 854, 856, 1012
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300125085
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: Grade II*
Past Seat / Home of: Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville (second creation) and 3rd Baron Grey of Werke, 1690-1701. Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville (third creation), until 1722; Charles Bennet, 3rd Earl of Tankerville, 1722-47. Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, 1st Bt., 1747-74; Sir Henry (Harry) Fetherstonhaugh, 2nd Bt., 1774-1846.
Current Ownership Type: The National Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01730-825-415
Fax: 01730-825-873
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Historic Houses Member: No