An Edwardian party house on the Surrey Hills, laid out for entertaining and ringed with easy walking country
Open to visitorsa National Trust place — check opening times and admission before you go
Margaret Greville is the character to know here. A brewer’s daughter who became one of the great society hostesses, she bought Polesden Lacey in 1906 and had it done up for weekend parties, filling the rooms with royalty, politicians and whoever else was worth knowing. The future George VI and his bride honeymooned here in 1923, which tells you the sort of address it was. She left the lot to the National Trust in 1942. The house and its Edwardian interiors are the paid, set-hours part of the visit.
The grounds are the reason to linger. There is a walled rose garden, long lawns and a wide terrace walk with the Surrey Hills falling away in front of you, and once you have had your fill you can carry straight on into the countryside. This is properly good walking territory, high on the chalk and well served with paths that lead straight out of the grounds. It is breezy up here even in summer, so it pays to have a layer with you, and the going can be sticky underfoot after rain, as chalk downland does not shed water the way you might hope.
Ranmore Common sits right on the doorstep, a short stroll from the grounds, and the North Downs Way runs close by if you want to make a day of it. For a bigger outing, Box Hill and the viewpoint at Denbies Hillside are both within a few miles east, and the market town of Dorking is near enough for afterwards.
