Bevendean History Project
Stanmer and the Pelham Family
Sir
Thomas Pelham’s son, the 2nd Earl of Chichester, became Home
Secretary under Prime Minister Henry Addington. The 3rd Earl,
succeeding in 1826, was Lord Lieutenant of Sussex from 1860 until his
death in 1886.
The Chichester family sold off large amounts of land after 1910. What was left of the estate was requisitioned by the War Department in 1942. The death of the 8th Earl on active service in 1944 and the incidence of Estate Duty caused the sale of the house and park. The Brighton Corporation purchased the remains of the Stanmer Estate including land formally part of the Falmer estate amounting to 4,958 acres in 1947 for £225,000.
The Earls of Chichester listed in chronological order
A new use for the old house was found when the Park was adopted as a site for the University of Sussex, namely as an administrative office pending the completion of the new buildings. Occupied by troops from 1939 to 1945 the house needed extensive repairs. Sussex University leased Stanmer House from 1961 to 1980.
Latterly after undergoing extensive renovation Stanmer House reopened in June 2006. In late 2011, the Whiting & Hammond pub group began to run the house as a bar and restaurant which is now open to the public seven days a week
Just as a matter of interest, the Daily Telegraph reported on the sale of the last of the land owned by the Pelham family in Sussex on 9 July 1966 as follows:-
“Land which has been owned by the Pelham family for nearly 700 years is being sold by the present owner, the ninth Earl of Chichester, 22. He has instructed Strutt and Parker, Lofts and Warner to find a buyer for his 1,800 acre Laughton estate, near Lewes, Sussex.
The sale will mean the final disposal of the Pelham estates in Sussex, held since the days of Edward I.
Lord Chichester is understood to be buying Little Durnford Manor, with its 890 acres near Salisbury, Wilts, from Mr. Julian Salmond. It was put on the market through Knight, Frank and Rutley at £350,000.”
Little Durnford Manor is the current seat of John Nicholas Pelham, the 9th Earl of Chichester. Built in the late 17th Century, the manor house at Little Durnford remained unaltered until remodelling took place in about 1720-40, and again towards the end of the 18th Century. The cheque red stonework is of limestone and flint, with ashlar window surrounds.
The Chichester family sold off large amounts of land after 1910. What was left of the estate was requisitioned by the War Department in 1942. The death of the 8th Earl on active service in 1944 and the incidence of Estate Duty caused the sale of the house and park. The Brighton Corporation purchased the remains of the Stanmer Estate including land formally part of the Falmer estate amounting to 4,958 acres in 1947 for £225,000.
The Earls of Chichester listed in chronological order
A new use for the old house was found when the Park was adopted as a site for the University of Sussex, namely as an administrative office pending the completion of the new buildings. Occupied by troops from 1939 to 1945 the house needed extensive repairs. Sussex University leased Stanmer House from 1961 to 1980.
Latterly after undergoing extensive renovation Stanmer House reopened in June 2006. In late 2011, the Whiting & Hammond pub group began to run the house as a bar and restaurant which is now open to the public seven days a week
Just as a matter of interest, the Daily Telegraph reported on the sale of the last of the land owned by the Pelham family in Sussex on 9 July 1966 as follows:-
“Land which has been owned by the Pelham family for nearly 700 years is being sold by the present owner, the ninth Earl of Chichester, 22. He has instructed Strutt and Parker, Lofts and Warner to find a buyer for his 1,800 acre Laughton estate, near Lewes, Sussex.
The sale will mean the final disposal of the Pelham estates in Sussex, held since the days of Edward I.
Lord Chichester is understood to be buying Little Durnford Manor, with its 890 acres near Salisbury, Wilts, from Mr. Julian Salmond. It was put on the market through Knight, Frank and Rutley at £350,000.”
Little Durnford Manor is the current seat of John Nicholas Pelham, the 9th Earl of Chichester. Built in the late 17th Century, the manor house at Little Durnford remained unaltered until remodelling took place in about 1720-40, and again towards the end of the 18th Century. The cheque red stonework is of limestone and flint, with ashlar window surrounds.
Stanmer Park and Village
