New Place Manor is a remarkable Grade II*-listed house set on the northern edge of the South Downs National Park in Pulborough, West Sussex. Recorded as the oldest house in the town, it has a 13th-century core, with later 16th and 18th-century additions built in a highly cohesive manner to create an exceptional vernacular home. The subject of an extensive and sensitive programme of restoration works in recent years, the house encompasses seven bedrooms across almost 6,000 sq ft of internal accommodation, with a bespoke triple-height kitchen, bathrooms by Lefroy Brooks and countless medieval features throughout. Immaculately maintained gardens of some 1.4 acres are beautifully landscaped and include a grass tennis court and outdoor heated swimming pool. In addition, there is a stylish two-bedroom annexe in the grounds. The choice of local schools is excellent, and trains from nearby Pulborough Station run half-hourly direct services to London Victoria in around 81 minutes.
Setting the Scene
New Place Manor is discretely positioned at the end of a quiet country lane and set in a raised position just to the north of Pulborough, looking out to open fields to the south, and surrounded by woodland to the rear. The beginning of the South Downs National Park is clearly in view in the distance, with numerous country walks on the home’s doorstep.
Forming something of an imposing presence, the primary range of this grand house dates to the mid-13th century and incorporates the home’s great hall, now used as a drawing room, and a Tudor dovecote at its south-west range. Later additions were completed in the 16th century, with the north range the last to be built in the 18th century. All three ranges unify to create a remarkable historic home, a palimpsest that winds its way around in a charming fashion and is replete with exceptional architectural features. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Grand Tour
A long private gravel driveway leads along the western boundary of the house from the lane, culminating in a parking area and turning circle surrounded by mature woodland. The house is built from stone rubble, with stone mullioned windows and leaded casement lights. The clay tile roofs are of varying pitches, both hipped and gabled, with the great hall’s vast chimney stack providing a statuesque feature to the south of the house.
The main hallway bisects the plan of the original 13th-century range of the home, with all the ground-floor rooms connected on a greater circular plan radiating from a central exterior courtyard. The hallway has octagon and dot limestone tiles underfoot, with further primary features that continue through the house including exposed timbers and gently undulating lime-plastered walls. Rooms are warmed by cast-iron radiators throughout.
The great hall functions as a double-height drawing room, with flagstones underfoot and mullioned windows at ground and clerestory levels flooding the room with a southerly light. The 17 ft wide inglenook fireplace is an incredible feature, with two bread ovens and a large cast-iron log basket.
The galleried kitchen is triple-height, with the soaring pitch of the roof exposed and further clerestory mullioned windows featuring at the upper levels. Flagstone floors continue here, with bespoke cabinetry complemented by thick-cut Carrara marble. A wall of ivory zellige tiles is set between the dark green Aga oven, with a brass pent hooded canopy resting above. Additional appliances, including four dishwashers and a fridge/freezer unit, are cleverly integrated into the cabinetry.
In the north range of the house, there is another cosy sitting room with a second inglenook fireplace, a large utility room, a study and a TV room. A secondary hallway nearest the parking area offers a convenient and additional informal entrance, with a guest WC and cloakroom.
The first floor has four bedrooms; three have en suite bathrooms that are fitted with underfloor heating. These secondary sleeping quarters are mainly arranged within the north wing of the house, where two further bedrooms and a bathroom are set among the eaves on the uppermost storey.
The seventh bedroom, the principal suite, is set in the primary south-facing part of the house, above the great hall. Private access is from the large galleried landing space above the kitchen to the main bed chamber with a glass aperture set into the ceiling. A spiral staircase leads up to the en suite bathroom and a private sitting room above, with a copper bateau bathtub and Lefroy Brooks brassware including a rainfall shower. The pitch here is fully exposed, lending a dramatic quality to these connected spaces when viewed from below. A separate WC is positioned for nighttime convenience on the lower floor of this two-storey suite.
On the opposite side of the home’s secondary driveway is a brilliant two-bedroom annexe, with a spacious open-plan living room and glamorous en suite bathrooms employing both Cast Iron Bath Company and Lefroy Brooks brassware. A trio of Crittall-style French doors face south to form the entrance’s entire façade, flooding the living space with light. The oak parquet floor is heated from below and bespoke cabinetry features in the kitchen with durable Caesarstone work surfaces. The two bedrooms are discretely set behind reeded glass screens, and their respective bathrooms are finished with materials including Nero Marquina and Carrara marbles, and elegant graphic tiles by Ann Sacks. The annexe also has a WC and a home gym that would make for a brilliant home office.
The Great Outdoors
The gardens at New Place Manor envelop the house, with woodland surrounding the northern perimeter and wonderful, partially walled gardens facing south from the house. Composed as a series of ‘rooms’, the section nearest the house is a gravel terrace with plentiful space for seating. It faces a mature magnolia tree and a series of lawns surrounded by deep flower beds, planted variously with seasonal flowers, shrubs, further trees and topiary.
An elegant rectangular pond is set at the east end of the gravel terrace; it has a feature fountain and is home to koi carp. This leads to a grand stone archway at the eastern boundary, inset with double timber gates. This commanding structure was installed for Queen Elizabeth I’s visit and arrival to the house in 1591. The stone arch is pedimented with a cartouche inscribed with the later date of 1699 – the arch is catalogued under a separate Grade II listing due to its specific historic importance, along with the garden’s east wall.
By way of further garden follies, there is an antique church pulpit in the south-west corner of the garden, and the dovecote tower is connected to the exterior of the great hall. It is accessed from an external door and is believed to be the only existing 16th-century dovecote in Europe. Although recorded as being reconstructed in the 19th century, it retains the earlier mullioned windows.
A doorway set into the south wall opens to a further expansive lawn, grass tennis court and outdoor heated swimming pool, complete with its own pool house. Immensely private and surrounded by mature trees, an elongated pergola with stone pillars is found here; come springtime, it is festooned with wisteria.
To the east of the house, through a further gate inset into the old boundary wall, is the ancillary complex and what was the service entrance. A contained gravel driveway courtyard allows for overflow parking if required, with independent vehicle access from the main lane that leads to the rear of the house. The beautifully planted and enclosed kitchen garden can also be found here.
Out and About
Pulborough and nearby Billingshurst are well served for amenities, including the Little Bean café, So India restaurant, The White Horse Inn and The Limburners pub. A Tesco and Sainsbury’s meet weekly shopping needs, with a wide array of independent retailers in each town. Nearby Storrington also has a good range of services, including a Waitrose, a post office and other facilities.
The opportunities for walking, hiking and horse riding in the immediate area are exceptional. The Wey and Arun Canal runs nearby with the Wey-South Path that goes to Billingshurst. The footpath north over the Brooks to Wisborough Green with its iconic village green and pubs is also wonderful.
Amberley, one Sussex’s prettiest villages, is close by. It is renowned for its historic houses and Norman church and castle (now a Relais & Chateaux hotel). Amberley also has two pubs and a thriving village shop with a post office. Of special note is Jasper Gorst’s excellent restaurant, The Boathouse, for a brilliant Mediterranean menu and wood-fired pizzas.
Petworth is also nearby to New Place Manor, celebrated as a hub for the antique industry and home to Petworth House and Park. Petworth also has a wonderful host of amenities, including independent boutiques Bear, Twenty and Tallulah Fox, alongside cafe and deli The Hungry Guest. The Horse Guards Inn just outside Petworth in Tillington, is also of note.
A 20-minute drive away, Madehurst is home to the restaurant with rooms, The Pig in the South Downs, which has been created in the splendid Grade II-listed Georgian house, Madehurst Lodge. The Lodge, which was built in the 1770s, and its grounds are now home to The Pig’s flock of South Downs sheep and has incredible views across its very own Sussex vineyard.
The larger town of Arundel is 20 minutes’ drive south, a pretty market town on the edge of the South Downs and just a few miles from the West Sussex coast. It is home to Arundel Castle, one of England’s longest inhabited country houses, as well as a popular farmers’ market and a charming array of shops, cafes and restaurants. Spencer Swaffer Antiques, one of the top decorative antique dealers in the UK, is also located here and Edgcumbes is very popular for tea and coffee.
The Goodwood Estate is 30 minutes’ drive away and is very popular both within the county and internationally, where there is a golf course, racecourse and festivals and events throughout the year including the famous Goodwood Revival. The main house is remarkable, housing an outstanding art collection. It also has a brilliant central clubhouse, The Kennels, which offers fine and informal dining, spas and wellness centres, and a programme of inspiring cultural events throughout the year. Its farm shop has a great selection of fresh organic meat and dairy produce, which is supplied by several farm shops in the wider area. The private aerodrome is exceptionally convenient for private air travel.
Slightly nearer to home is the historic 16,000-acre Cowdray Park Estate near Midhurst, just 20 minutes’ drive away and encompassing a renowned golf course, polo field, clay pigeon shooting range, stunning parkland and a brilliant farm shop and restaurant, with produce from the estate’s Moor Farm. There are countless events held throughout the year, with a firm focus by the Cowdray family on sustainability.
Chichester is also a 30-minute drive to the west; it has a rich history and a vibrant cultural scene, most notably including the renowned Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery. It is a settlement that dates to the Roman period and is renowned for its outstanding architecture. Chichester Harbour is home to several sailing clubs and many beaches, including The Witterings, which are around 40 minutes away by car. Brighton is also accessible to New Place Manor, some 25 miles south-east.
There is an excellent choice of schools locally. Popular primary options include Storrington, St James’ C of E, Bury C of E and West Chiltington C of E. The Weald, Midhurst Rother College and Steyning Grammar all provide secondary education for pupils in Pulborough. All these schools have been graded “Good” or “Outstanding” by Ofsted. Additional excellent state schools in the greater area include Bishop Luffa School in Chichester and BHASVIC Sixth Form College in Brighton.
For further independent schools in easy reach, Westbourne House School and Oakwood School are both noted prep schools in Chichester. Windlesham House School in Washington is another excellent prep school. Dorset House Prep School in Bury and Great Ballard School in Eartham are also worthy of note. All the local independent senior schools offer day or weekly boarding places. The closest is Seaford College in Petworth for day pupils, but Brighton College, Hurstpierpoint College, Portsmouth Grammar School and Portsmouth High School are also all accessible. Weekly boarding is however a popular option.
Pulborough’s mainline railway station is a 5-minute drive away and runs services to London Victoria in approximately 81 minutes, every half hour. There is also easy access to the A27 and the A24, which connects to the M25. London Gatwick Airport is just 40 minutes’ drive away and London Heathrow Airport is 70 minutes’ drive.
Council Tax Band: H
History
Pulborough is a pretty market town with a population today of 3,500 inhabitants. It is positioned near the confluence of the River Arun and the River Rother, on the ancient Roman road called Stane Street, that originally connected London to Chichester. It looks southwards over the broad flood plain of the tidal Arun to a backdrop of the South Downs, on the northern edges of what is now known as the South Downs National Park.
Historically, Pulborough was a fording place over the river Arun and used by the Romans. The Saxons bridged the River Arun here and at nearby Stopham, north of its confluence with the River Rother. It became an important watering and overnight halt for cattle drovers providing easy access to fresh water. There is also evidence of a later Norman settlement in the surrounding area.
New Place Manor is the oldest building in Pulborough, first believed to have been built in 1252. It was built by Alard le Fleming after he was granted a royal license to replace a burnt house in his park at Pulborough. When he died in around 1263, the estate was divided between his two daughters and became the two estates of what are now known as Old and New Place Manor, though the house at Old Place Manor, in something of a contradictory arrangement, was built later in 1450.
Le Fleming was an important man, and it was either him (or his forebearer) who was a military advisor and commander during the reigns of Richard I and King John, and the minority of King Henry III; Le Fleming’s importance extended throughout the whole county of Sussex.
Later, New Place Manor passed into the hands of the Aspley Estate and was extended. A great gate was built, still standing on the eastern boundary of the garden, and emblazoned with the Aspley family coat of arms to celebrate the arrival of Queen Elizabeth I on her famous journey between Sutton Place and Cowdray Park in 1591. Thereafter, New Place Manor was owned by William Bartelott, a water bailiff. Bartelott and his family were important figures in the area and feature in Alexandra Harris’s recently published The Rising Down; Lives in a Sussex Landscape.
The house is often described as an Elizabethan manor due to a great deal of the structure being built in the 16th century. It has the oldest dovecote in Europe and the largest Tudor inglenook fireplace in the country, in its great hall. It also allegedly has a tunnel that goes all the way to St Mary’s Church, although it is believed to now be blocked up. The Great Hall also served as a courthouse at one time, and the small cellar underneath functioned as a dungeon for prisoners awaiting trial or transfer to gaol.
Most of the land around Pulborough once belonged to New Place Manor before the house fell into some disrepair in the late 19th century, though thankfully all its original features were beautifully preserved and restored by later custodians.
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