Lower Gatton Park, Reigate, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

Park and pleasure grounds forming the setting for a country house, with improvements to the existing park in the 1760s and 70s by Lancelot Brown; mid-19th-century remodelling around the house. Gardens remodelled in the late 19th century by H E Milner, and further elaborated during early 20th century. 

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Lower Gatton Park lies 3km to the north of Reigate, on the lower slopes of the North Downs. The 234 hectare site is bordered by Gatton Bottom road to the north-west and Wray Lane to the west. Gatton Park Road (A23) forms the boundary to the south, the earlier southern edge of the park having been straightened with the building of the public road in the mid-18th century. Rocky Lane, a former drive, provides the boundary to the north-east. The roughly 11 hectare lake lies towards the east corner of the site with rising land to the north and west. 

REFERENCES Used by English Heritage

G F Prosser, Select illustrations of ... Surrey (1828)

E W Brayley and J Britton, Topographical History of Surrey 4, (1841-8), p 310

W Keane, Beauties of Surrey (1849), pp 70-2

Gardeners' Chronicle, ii (1896), pp 37-8; ii (1897), pp 341-3, 347; ii (1908), pp 225-6, 231; ii (1915), pp 161-3, 165, 168; i (1916), p 299

Gardener's Magazine, (1904), pp 299-300, 303-4

J Horticulture and Home Farmer, 52 (1906), pp 478-80; 67 (1913), pp 451-3

Victoria History of the County of Surrey III, (1911), pp 196-200

D Stroud, Capability Brown (1975), p 226

S Couch, Gatton Park, Historic Survey and Management Plan, (for Cazenove Architects Co-operative 1998) [Contains a comprehensive list of printed material and maps, plans, illustrations and copies of historic documents.]

Maps

John Rocque, Map of Surrey, surveyed c 1762, published 1768

Map of Lord Hylton's estate, 1768 [in Couch 1998]

Survey of Lower Gatton, around 1790 [in Couch 1998]

C & J Greenwood, Map of Surrey, 1823

Tithe map for Reigate parish, 1838 [in Couch 1998]

OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1869; 3rd edition published 1913; 1933 edition

Archival items

Sale catalogue, 1888 (634), (Surrey History Centre)
 

Description written: October 1998

Amended: March 1999

Edited: April 2003