West Dean House is Georgian country house now known as West Dean College. It was designed by James Wyatt and built in 1804.
The house was later remodelled and became the home of Edward James, the well known eccentric, poet and supporter of the surrealist art movement. In 1964, James gave West Dean to a charitable trust. The Edward James Foundation at West Dean College is now a centre for the preservation of traditional arts and crafts, through short and full-time courses. James is buried in the St Roche’s Arboretum in the estate.
Monkton House
James also owned nearby Monkton House. This property was designed in 1902 by Edwin Lutyens and in the 1930s, remodelled by James – heavily influenced by Salvador Dali. It is described as “the only complete Surrealist house ever created in Britain”. It is painted purple with fibreglass palm trees and when you’re walking the South Downs Way, you can snatch tiny glimpses of it through the bushes and hear the call of the resident peacocks. Even this small teaser hints strongly of the delights within but sadly, it’s privately owned and not open to the public.
Back to West Dean
The house at West Dean is mainly built in flint and is Grade II* listed, as are the landscaped park and gardens. Although the house isn’t generally open to the public, the gardens are. When the house was built in 1804, the gardens were also developed and then reinvigorated after the great storm of 1987. These days you can see the walled fruit garden, the Victorian glasshouses, the kitchen garden and sunken garden,the impressive pergola, fibre glass trees, sculptures and parklands.
SE friend and WD visitor Katie explains some of the delights you can expect.
“Hidden away in the Lavant Valley, just north of Chichester – West Dean gardens is around 15 minutes drive from the Goodwood Estate, or a stones throw from the Weald and Downland Museum. West Dean’s walled kitchen gardens come to life in spring and early summer – walking though the ornate iron gate into a forest of apple blossom feels reminiscent of The Secret Garden imagined by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Stone walls frame the Espalier fruit trees, overlooking beds of brightly coloured tulips, all standing in military formation. Ladybirds perch on petals as bees hum busily in and out of the Victorian glasshouses.
The summer months at West Dean welcome a crescendo of colour in clematis and wisteria, shouldered by 300ft of Edwardian pergola, which last summer staged the wedding of Hermia and Lysander in CFYT’s production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream. This stunning centrepiece (the pergola) was designed by Harold Peto, best known for his exquisite horticulture at Iford Manor in Wiltshire.
The natural beauty of West Dean preserves its essence of English garden charm in a way that other gardens struggle to sustain. Escalating costs of maintenance are pushing more and more of our horticultural attractions towards a more commercial atmosphere, which can impinge on the natural beauty of a landscape. The saving grace for West Dean has been its College of Arts, which drives tourism through their recently launched creative escapes courses. Courses cover everything from spoon carving and screen-printing to wildlife painting and jewellery making, which are popular with locals and tourists alike.”
If formal and ornamental gardens and courses aren’t you’re thing, that’s ok too. Head away from the house across the parklands and into the St Roche’s Arboretum. The Arboretum is known for its collection of large specimens of North American conifers and there’s special serenity here. it feels grand but intimate at the same time, and if you look hard enough, you might just be able to find James’ quiet and discreet grave, although it’s not that well signed. And on your way back to the gardens, don’t forget to look out for the last of the balls (aka the Chalk Stones of the Chalk Stone Trail).
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