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Publications
Uppark, by Thomas Walker Horsfield, published 1835 in The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex (vol. II, rape of Chichester, pp.87-88) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2397][Lib 3212] & The Keep [LIB/507380][Lib/500088] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Historic Houses of Sussex - Uppark, Petersfield, by Viscountess Wolseley, published 1935 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IX no. 6, article, pp.337-344) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9330] & The Keep [LIB/500179]
Uppark, West Sussex (1), by Christopher Hussey, published 14 June 1941 in Country Life (article)
Uppark, West Sussex (2), by Christopher Hussey, published 21 June 1941 in Country Life (article)
Uppark, West Sussex (3), by Christopher Hussey, published 28 June 1941 in Country Life (article)
Uppark and Its People, by Margaret Meade-Featherston-Haugh and Oliver Warner, published 1964 (118 pp & 14 pp. of plates, Allen and Unwin) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10509][Lib 10640] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Review by K. M.E. M. [K. M. E. Murray] in Sussex Notes and Queries, November 1964:It would be impossible to write a dull book about Uppark and its owners. There is a sleeping-beauty quality about this remarkable house, perched on the Downs above South Harting, in which the eighteenth century is still so completely preserved. This is because it has had only seven owners since it was built in 1690 - the span of the lives of three of them covering the 141 years from 1754 till 1895 - and because the most recent have all been concerned to avoid innovation. Thus the eighteenth-century decorations, furniture and fittings are still virtually intact and with the exceptional wealth of manuscript materials - deeds, account books, letters and diaries also found there this enables the life lived by its owners to be reconstructed in detail. In addition it so happened that the people of Uppark were colourful characters: Ford Lord Grey, Earl of Tankerville, who built the house, figures in national history through his support of the Duke of Monmouth and Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh who bought the property in 1747 was typical of the eighteenth century in his culture and good taste. His son Sir Harry stands out as the principal figure in the history of the house; in his gay youth the lover of Emma Lady Hamilton and the friend of the Prince Regent, when he was over 70 he married Mary Ann Bullock the dairy maid.
Since the present owners, Admiral and Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh handed over the guardianship of the house to the National Trust, hundreds of visitors have been able to see its treasures and hear something of its history and they will welcome this book which is an expansion of the useful little guide book produced by the Trust. It is written for the general reader rather than the professional historian and is well produced although it appears rather highly priced for its length. There are fourteen illustrations which are good so far as they go, but obviously there is much more that could have been included and a plan would have been helpful even to those who know the house fairly well.
Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh has been working on the manuscripts for over thirty years, but though we are given some delightful and very interesting extracts from them, the book leaves one hungry for more and also still without any very clear idea of the full extent of the material available. Now that the manuscripts have been catalogued a short account of them would have been useful and also some more precise indications of the sources of the extracts used.
This is in fact not the 'last word' on Uppark for which we have been waiting, but none the less the book contains much that is good reading. The story of the project for founding a new colony in America to be called Vandalia is given in some detail, and there is a picture of Henry Keene's design for the Gothic tower which remains as a memorial to Sir Matthew's interest in the scheme. A chapter is devoted to the correspondence between Sir Harry and Humphrey Repton, who was employed to carry out some alterations, and this is interesting not only for the history of the house but also in relation to the taste of the period. There is a charming account of rural life in the 1770's based on the account books; sixteen labourers in round white smocks and tall black hats worked in the beech woods, the blacksmiths drank eight pints of beer before breakfast and home-brewed beer was piped from the brewhouse to the hall for employees. To the story of Sir Harry courting Mary Ann in the dairy is added the oral tradition that when she could not find words to reply to Sir Harry's proposal he said "Don't answer me now, but if you will have me, cut a slice out of the leg of mutton that is coming up for my dinner to-day."
The epilogue is written by Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh and reminds us again of the exceptional good fortune which brought the house into the hands of one who could appreciate the romance of its past. Her work in restoring the brocade curtains with the aid of soap made of the herb Saponaria is briefly mentioned, but those who have not been to Uppark would hardly appreciate from this account the extent of the labour and its almost miraculous results. Who but Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh would ever have attempted this seemingly impossible task? This house and its contents has indeed been blessed in its owners. It is to be hoped that we shall not have to wait for another thirty years to be told more about them.
Since the present owners, Admiral and Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh handed over the guardianship of the house to the National Trust, hundreds of visitors have been able to see its treasures and hear something of its history and they will welcome this book which is an expansion of the useful little guide book produced by the Trust. It is written for the general reader rather than the professional historian and is well produced although it appears rather highly priced for its length. There are fourteen illustrations which are good so far as they go, but obviously there is much more that could have been included and a plan would have been helpful even to those who know the house fairly well.
Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh has been working on the manuscripts for over thirty years, but though we are given some delightful and very interesting extracts from them, the book leaves one hungry for more and also still without any very clear idea of the full extent of the material available. Now that the manuscripts have been catalogued a short account of them would have been useful and also some more precise indications of the sources of the extracts used.
This is in fact not the 'last word' on Uppark for which we have been waiting, but none the less the book contains much that is good reading. The story of the project for founding a new colony in America to be called Vandalia is given in some detail, and there is a picture of Henry Keene's design for the Gothic tower which remains as a memorial to Sir Matthew's interest in the scheme. A chapter is devoted to the correspondence between Sir Harry and Humphrey Repton, who was employed to carry out some alterations, and this is interesting not only for the history of the house but also in relation to the taste of the period. There is a charming account of rural life in the 1770's based on the account books; sixteen labourers in round white smocks and tall black hats worked in the beech woods, the blacksmiths drank eight pints of beer before breakfast and home-brewed beer was piped from the brewhouse to the hall for employees. To the story of Sir Harry courting Mary Ann in the dairy is added the oral tradition that when she could not find words to reply to Sir Harry's proposal he said "Don't answer me now, but if you will have me, cut a slice out of the leg of mutton that is coming up for my dinner to-day."
The epilogue is written by Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh and reminds us again of the exceptional good fortune which brought the house into the hands of one who could appreciate the romance of its past. Her work in restoring the brocade curtains with the aid of soap made of the herb Saponaria is briefly mentioned, but those who have not been to Uppark would hardly appreciate from this account the extent of the labour and its almost miraculous results. Who but Lady Meade-Fetherstonhaugh would ever have attempted this seemingly impossible task? This house and its contents has indeed been blessed in its owners. It is to be hoped that we shall not have to wait for another thirty years to be told more about them.
Uppark [National Trust guidebook], published 1971 (booklet, The National Trust) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4320]
Uppark, Sussex, published 1979 (pamphlet, The National Trust) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12505][Lib 16561]
Uppark, by C. H. Beharrel, published 1983 (pamphlet, National Trust) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9161]
An Eighteenth Century Gothic Folly at Uppark, Harting, by Frederick G. Aldsworth, published 1983 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 121, historical note, pp.215-219) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8902] & The Keep [LIB/500308] & S.A.S. library
Uppark and Its People, by Margaret Meade-Featherston-Haugh and Oliver Warner, published 21 April 1988 (New edition, 122 pp., Ebury Press, ISBN-10: 0712618643 & ISBN-13: 9780712618649) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The Fire at Uppark, by Adam Nicolson, published 1990 (46 pp., National Trust) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10724]
Uppark: Non Omnis Moriat, by David Sekers, published 1990 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10607]
Rebuilding Uppark, by Dan Cruickshank, published 18 January 1990 in Country Life (vol. 184 no. 3, article, pp.56-57)
Uppark: A Building Chronology, by J. Eyre, published Autumn 1990 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 46, article, p.24) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/46] & The Keep [LIB/500483]
Rising from ashes [Uppark], by John Martin Robinson, published 20 February 1992 in Country Life (vol. 186 no. 8, article, pp.42-45)
Remembrances of happy days at Uppark 100 years ago: the reminiscences of Keturah Pistell, by Joan Henderson, published April 1992 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 49, article, p.9) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/49] & The Keep [LIB/500483]
Uppark Restored, by Elizabeth Chesters, published December 1994 in Midhurst Magazine (Volume 7 Number 2, article, pp.10-11, Winter 1994) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15968]
Abstract:Autumn (October 1994) lecture to the Midhurst Society on the restoration of Uppark, following the catastrophic fire in 1989. The talk was given by John Eyre, former Administrator of Uppark.
Phoenix on the Downs [Uppark], by Laurence Marks, published 1995 (article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13662]
Uppark, West Sussex, by Richard Haslam, published 25 May 1995 in Country Life (vol. 189 no. 21, article, pp.68-73)
Uppark Restored, by Christopher Rowell, John Martin Robinson and edited by Sarah Riddell, published 1 January 1996 (224 pp., National Trust, ISBN-10: 0707802520 & ISBN-13: 9780707802527) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13339] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Perched high on the Sussex Downs, Uppark was built in 1690 for Ford Grey, Lord Grey of Warke, an odious man by all accounts, though he created a beautiful house. In 1747 Uppark was bought by Matthew Fetherstonuhaugh, who took advantage of an inheritance to furnish the rooms in the latest European fashion, and installed the paintings that he had collected on the Grand Tour. Just two centuries later, the house passed to the National Trust.The particular quality of Uppark was that it was so unaltered; through the years furnishings had been repaired rather than replaced, contents left unmoved. This repose, however, was rudely shattered on the afternoon of 30th August 1989, when Uppark caught fire. Hours later it stood a desolate ruin. While the fire was fought, a salvage operation was mounted, rescuing a remarkably high proportion of the historic contents including much of the interior - panelling, carved wood, plasterwork, textiles and wallpapers. The National Trust faced the very difficult question of what to do with the house and its contents The ensuing debate was fierce, but the course of action emerged clearlv. Uppark had been thoroughly insured, and the money could only be used for reinstatement. The house could and would be saved, its contents repaired and returned in an unprecedented five-year programme. The result is a triumph of conservation over tragedy that has drawn on traditional crafts to match the exceptional quality of the house with new work, and seamless repairs to the old.
Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh of Uppark: A Chronology, by J. Eyre, published October 1997 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 60, article, p.13) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/60] & The Keep [LIB/500484]
Uppark: Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh's first architect, by Richard Hewlings, published 1998 in The Georgian Group Journal (vol. VIII, article, pp.114-121) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13942]
Uppark revealed: A reinterpretation of the history of the house and gardens in the light of evidence revealed during restoration in 1989-94 following damage by fire, by Fred Aldsworth, published 2015 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 153, article, pp.113-170) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 18934] & The Keep [LIB/509033] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:The fire which swept through Uppark in Harting, West Sussex, in August 1989 and the subsequent five-year restoration exposed much of the fabric of the house previously hidden by decorative plasterwork, panelling, and floor and wall coverings. The fabric and the debris provided much new evidence for the house's original form and decoration, and for changes made to it during its life. Minor ground disturbances around the house, for example for temporary buildings and services, led to the discovery of evidence for the development of the gardens.
This new archaeological evidence is presented here along with recently identified documentary evidence. Together they offer a revised and more detailed account of the history of the house and its gardens than has previously been available.
Although the house and gardens were first built in c. 1690 (Period 1), the precise dates for their construction and the name of the architect responsible are not known. The property was described as 'new built' by Celia Fiennes visiting in the second half of 1695, but dates as early as 1685 have been suggested for its construction for Ford Grey, Baron Grey of Warke, created Earl of Tankerville in June 1695. Although the house is often attributed to William Talman (1650-1720), with George London (c. 1640-1714) perhaps employed to design the gardens, the distinguished architect Hugh May (1621-84), who lived locally at Lavant, may have had a hand in its design.
The house was refurbished and the gardens were redesigned just a few years later, c. 1700-30 (Period 1a), with new outbuildings by the London builder John Jenner in 1723-5. They were extended and altered again on two further occasions, after purchase by Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, between 1747 and 1774 probably to designs by Daniel Garrett (d. 1753) and Henry Keene (1726-76) (Period 2), and then by Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh in 1811-17, to designs by Humphry Repton (1752-1818) (Period 3).
The picture that emerges is one of continuing change to meet the aspirations of successive owners or to accommodate visits by fashionable visitors, not least George, Prince of Wales between 1784 and 1804.
This new archaeological evidence is presented here along with recently identified documentary evidence. Together they offer a revised and more detailed account of the history of the house and its gardens than has previously been available.
Although the house and gardens were first built in c. 1690 (Period 1), the precise dates for their construction and the name of the architect responsible are not known. The property was described as 'new built' by Celia Fiennes visiting in the second half of 1695, but dates as early as 1685 have been suggested for its construction for Ford Grey, Baron Grey of Warke, created Earl of Tankerville in June 1695. Although the house is often attributed to William Talman (1650-1720), with George London (c. 1640-1714) perhaps employed to design the gardens, the distinguished architect Hugh May (1621-84), who lived locally at Lavant, may have had a hand in its design.
The house was refurbished and the gardens were redesigned just a few years later, c. 1700-30 (Period 1a), with new outbuildings by the London builder John Jenner in 1723-5. They were extended and altered again on two further occasions, after purchase by Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, between 1747 and 1774 probably to designs by Daniel Garrett (d. 1753) and Henry Keene (1726-76) (Period 2), and then by Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh in 1811-17, to designs by Humphry Repton (1752-1818) (Period 3).
The picture that emerges is one of continuing change to meet the aspirations of successive owners or to accommodate visits by fashionable visitors, not least George, Prince of Wales between 1784 and 1804.