In September 2022, West Horsley Place Trust began investigating the development of the Manor House through an archaeology and building recording project called What Lies Beneath.
Part 4: From the Ashes, the Manor House by 1823
Evidence of a fire discovered during the Trust’s repair work in 2018 provides clues as to why the west wing now stands two window bays shorter than it did in 1747 (part three) with the attached Dutch-gabled wing removed.
The central gable is newer than the others, having been built to reflect the ends of the wings when the clock tower was moved to the stable block. To the east of this a surviving large softwood roof had been built over the earlier roofs to create an appearance of symmetry. Three dormer windows either side of the central gable reinforce this symmetry.
A drawing of the house by Edward Hassell from 1823 shows changes made to the house include a classical half-round porch had been added over the doorway. It is thought that the four-window bay wing shown in Edward Hassell’s drawing would have been in-line with the main range, creating an enfilade* which extended both ways from the Red Drawing Room.
*What is an enfliade?
An enfilade is a group of rooms linked by a line of doorways beside windows.
