Chorleywood House Estate is located off the A404 in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. Entrance to the Estate is by the Parish Office, opposite the Cricket Club.
Amenities
The site comprises 170 acres of formal gardens, meadows and woodland, open all year it is a free public space that also provides access to the River Chess.The Estate has been granted the prestigious Green Flag Award for public open space each year since 2009
Chorleywood House grounds are home to many community groups and facilities. There are public tennis courts freely available without booking, the separate Chorleywood Lawn Tennis Club has its own six floodlit courts, three pitches and a pavilion used by the Chorleywood Common Youth Football Club and the Chorleywood Youth Club.
Associated Articles:
Green Flag Award
The Woodland Carvings
The Orchard
The River Chess
Friends of Chorleywood House Estate
The Friends of Chorleywood House Estate was formed in 1998 with the aim of helping Three Rivers District Council to restore and improve the fields, parkland and woods that comprise the Chorleywood House Estate and to conserve it for future generations.
Volunteer Groups work every first and third Tuesday of the month. They tackle different tasks and areas of the Estate at different times, for details of specific activities on particular days call Tim Venner on 01923 284320.
The Friends welcomes all new members, particularly anyone who can offer their expertise in areas such as applying for grants and funding or advising on botanical restoration or who can serve on the Committee or assist with the production of the crucial 10-year Management Plan. There is a £5 annual membership fee to cover costs. Contact the Membership Secretary Tim Venner on 01923 284320 or at Fairlight, Shire Lane, Chorleywood, Herts., WD3 5NR.
History
Chorleywood House Estate dates back to the early 18th Century when it consisted of two farms. In 1822 John Barnes bought the estate and the Regency mansion, called Chorleywood House, was built.
In 1892, the house was bought by Lady Ela Russell, who modified and enlarged the house. She developed the estate to be virtually self-sufficient, with her own farms and market garden. She created formal gardens and parkland near the house, and built cottages for her chauffeur and gardener behind the house. She installed electricity using a generator housed in a building near the summerhouse. Water was pumped from the Chess by a waterwheel to a well, which was also supplied by a spring. She built a chapel, and a drill hall which was used by her Rifle Club. These buildings are still in use, and have been restored by Three Rivers.
Chapel
Drill Hall
In June 1940, the mansion and land were bought by the Chorleywood Urban District Council together with Hertfordshire County Council and London County Council and designated a public open space.
During the war, the mansion housed evacuees from London, under the care of a matron. Army troops and German prisoners of war were housed in Nissen huts in the grounds. Later, Chorleywood UDC adopted the house for their offices, and the Public Library was housed there. Tenants lived in flats in the upper storeys – one remarked that these were the best council flats in the country.
When Chorleywood UDC became Three Rivers DC with buildings in Rickmansworth, the mansion was converted to flats which are privately leased.
The grounds remain as a public open space.
For use of the red and white summerhouse, please contact the Membership Secretary Tim Venner on 01923 284320 or at Fairlight, Shire Lane, Chorleywood, Herts., WD3 5NR.