Mrs Greville's Country Retreat
Polesden Lacey owes its reputation to one woman. Margaret Greville, daughter of the brewing magnate William McEwan, bought the estate in 1906 and spent the next three decades turning it into one of England's most celebrated weekend retreats. The architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis – the same pair behind The Ritz in London – remodelled the house to her specifications, creating interiors lavish enough to entertain royalty, politicians, and the social elite of the Edwardian age.
The guest book reads like a who's who of early twentieth-century power. Edward VII visited. So did the future George VI, who spent his honeymoon here with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 – two weeks in the Surrey Hills before returning to public life. Mrs Greville, shrewd and well-connected, cultivated these friendships with legendary weekend parties where the food, wine, and company were all first class.
The House and Collections
The house itself is a Regency villa, substantially remodelled rather than built from scratch. Inside, the saloon and picture corridor contain Mrs Greville's impressive art collection, including Dutch Old Masters, Chinese ceramics, and French furniture. The corridor stretches over 60 metres and doubles as a gallery – a deliberate choice by a hostess who understood that good art makes for good conversation.
The Grounds
The 1,400-acre estate spreads across a chalk valley in the Surrey Hills. Formal gardens surround the house: a walled rose garden with over 2,500 roses, herbaceous borders, a lavender garden, and a long terrace walk with views south across the Mole Valley. Beyond the gardens, the estate opens into parkland, ancient woodland, and farmland. Marked trails loop through the grounds, ranging from half a mile to four miles.
Mrs Greville left Polesden Lacey to the National Trust in 1942, in memory of her father. The Trust has maintained it since, and the estate now draws over 300,000 visitors a year. Summer brings an open-air theatre season on the south lawn – a tradition that suits the place rather well.
