Standen House & Garden
West Hoathly Road East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 4NE
This National Trust-owned Victorian house, set in 12 acres of hillside gardens on the outskirts of East Grinstead, dates from the heyday of the Arts and Crafts movement (‘Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.’ – William Morris). It was built by Philip Webb – friend of Morris and key figure in the movement – between 1892 and 1894 for James Beale, a wealthy London solicitor, and his family, and the sprawling house still has the relaxed, almost cosy feel of a family home, which accounts for a large part of its charm. Rooms are presented at different times of day (some by candlelight), and are crammed with Arts and Crafts treasures from some of the key figures of the movement: Morris’s wallpapers and textiles, lustreware and ceramic tiles by William De Morgan, metalwork by W.A.S. Benson, and paintings and drawings by Edward Burne Jones, Dante Gabrielle Rosetti and Ford Maddox Brown.
