Juniper Hall
Encyclopedia
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, is a 18th century country house in a quiet wooded valley within the chalk North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It is about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from Box Hill
Box Hill, Surrey
Box Hill is a summit of the North Downs in Surrey, approximately south west of London. The hill takes its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. The western part of the hill is owned and managed by the National Trust, whilst...
and only 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Nearby habitats and environments for study include unimproved chalk grassland, coppiced woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, heathland and freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
sites. Opened as a field centre in 1947, Juniper Hall was one of the original four centres opened by the Field Studies Council
Field Studies Council
The Field Studies Council is an educational charity based in the UK. It opened its first Field Centre in 1947 at Flatford Mill, and now operates 17 Field Centres in various locations in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland offering both residential and non-residential field courses...
following the end of the Second World War.
History
The house was originally a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
called The Royal Oak but was bought by Sir Cecil Bisshopp and occupied by him while he was having neighbouring Juniper Hill built. He died in 1779 before Juniper Hill was completed. David Jenkinson (a wealthy “lottery owner”) bought Juniper Hall and built Juniper Hill; the ing his tenure, in 1780, by Benjamin Elliott. Also in 1780, according to the Victoria County History of Surrey, the skeletons of two Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
"in full war apparel" were found while the house was being extended.
The house was leased by Jenkinson to a group of French emigres from 1792-1793 which included Anne Louise Germaine de Staël
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein , commonly known as Madame de Staël, was a French-speaking Swiss author living in Paris and abroad. She influenced literary tastes in Europe at the turn of the 19th century.- Childhood :...
, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara
Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara
Louis Marie Jacques Amalric, comte de Narbonne-Lara was a French nobleman, soldier and diplomat.-Birth and early life:He was born at Colorno, in the Duchy of Parma, as the son of Françoise de Châlus Louis Marie Jacques Amalric, comte de Narbonne-Lara (17, 23 or 24 August 1755 – 17 November...
and General Alexandre D'Arblay. It was General D'Arblay that met Fanny Burney
Fanny Burney
Frances Burney , also known as Fanny Burney and, after her marriage, as Madame d’Arblay, was an English novelist, diarist and playwright. She was born in Lynn Regis, now King’s Lynn, England, on 13 June 1752, to musical historian Dr Charles Burney and Mrs Esther Sleepe Burney...
in the Templeton Room of Juniper Hall and later married her in the village church in Mickleham
Mickleham
Mickleham may refer to:* Mickleham, Victoria, Australia* Mickleham, Surrey, England...
. In 1800 the house was sold together with about 50 acres (202,343 m²) of freehold land to Thomas Broadwood, the son of John Broadwood
John Broadwood
John Broadwood was the Scottish founder of the piano manufacturer Broadwood and Sons.-Life:Broadwood was born 6 October 1732 and christened 15 Oct 1732 at St Helens, Cockburnspath in Berwickshire, and grew up in Oldhamstocks, East Lothian...
and a member of the piano manufacturing family Broadwood and Sons
Broadwood and Sons
Broadwood and Sons is an English piano manufacturer, founded in 1728 by Burkat Shudi and continued after his death in 1773 by John Broadwood.- Early history :...
.
The last private owners of the house were the MacAndrew family who had major building works carried out from 1882–1885, which resulted in the building having its present form. Much of the earlier layout is now hidden, but the main office (formerly the morning room) and the Templeton room are little altered.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the house was occupied by the Canadian army in the build up to the Normandy landings, and in 1945 it was sold by Miss MacAndrew to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
; it forms part of the Trust's Box Hill
Box Hill
Box Hill or Boxhill may refer to:*Box Hill, New South Wales, suburb of Sydney, Australia*Box Hill, Surrey, England well known beauty spot in the North Downs**location of Box Hill & Westhumble railway station...
Estate.