Hammerwood Park

Hammerwood Park is a country house near East Grinstead, Sussex, England at gbmapping|TQ442389 and Grade 1 listed of historical interest. It was the first work of the Architect Benjamin Latrobe. Built in 1792, it was one of the first houses in England built in the Greek Revival style. The house was at one time owned by Led Zeppelin who bought it in 1973 as flats for the group members and their families. But Led Zeppelin, who were engaged in America completely forgot that they owned it. It was in bad condition when in 1982 it had been for sale for a number of years and David Pinnegar saw an advertisement for it in "Country Life". He was only 21 when he bought it and everybody thought he was mad. The restoration of the house gained the Anne de Amodio award from IBI, the International Burgen Institut (now part of Europa Nostra) and the progress of the restoration received a lot of television coverage. Now it is nearly completely restored but the dining room purposely remains derelict to remind people of how the whole house was. The house is often used for filming including pop videos for "The Darkness", Victoria Beckham (posh spice), Mel C (sporty Spice), Prada, fashion shoots for Vogue and other magazines and in 2007 the horror movie "Knife Edge".

The restoration is more than the rebuilding of stone and plaster: the owners' ethos is that buildings which are part of the national heritage should be open to the public, fulfilling roles of education and enjoyment. The house is open to the public in the summer (see website below for details) and concerts are often held there. Recently, the temporary organ which served Londonderry Cathedral for a dozen years has been added to facilities at the house and is used in particular to promote the music of the French symphonic writers such as Vierne and Widor.

External links

* [http://www.hammerwood.mistral.co.uk Hammerwood Park Official website]
* [http://www.jungleboffin.com/mp3/concerts.htm Recordings of concerts at Hammerwood Park]