History
The 1755 map of the Manor of Chilworth shows the village of Chilworth, its church and the original Manor House as well as numerous fields, farms and large areas of woodland. An unnamed building (in the shape of a letter 'E') is shown on the site of the present Chilworth Manor - the name 'Chilworth House' first appears on an 1806 Ordnance Survey map. The Estate's connection with the Fleming name can be traced back to the mid-seventeenth century. Ownership of the Estate passed to the Serle family in the early eighteenth century.
The grounds of Chilworth House flourished during the Serles' ownership - a local guide published in 1818 described it as “...enclosed in a large extent of pleasure ground in which are beautiful gardens, shrubberies etc. - it commands a delightful variegated prospect for many miles around.” Several 19th century maps show a bridleway running round the perimeter of the grounds and the Ancient Woodland. An 1872 map shows a roadway running through what is now Old Chilworth Village, past the Bee Hive cottages and finally linking up with the line of the Roman road which runs through Chilworth Common. ‘Tanners Brook’ on the western boundary of the Estate (associated with the local tannery) is probably the source of the complex network of drainage channels in the area now known as the Ancient Woodland. By 1910 a path was established linking the western perimeter path to the area of secondary woodland.
Read More on The Estate in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Read More on The Estate in the 20th Century
Click on a map below to enlarge
History
The 1755 map of the Manor of Chilworth shows the village of Chilworth, its church and the original Manor House as well as numerous fields, farms and large areas of woodland. An unnamed building (in the shape of a letter 'E') is shown on the site of the present Chilworth Manor - the name 'Chilworth House' first appears on an 1806 Ordnance Survey map. The Estate's connection with the Fleming name can be traced back to the mid-seventeenth century. Ownership of the Estate passed to the Serle family in the early eighteenth century.
The grounds of Chilworth House flourished during the Serles' ownership - a local guide published in 1818 described it as “...enclosed in a large extent of pleasure ground in which are beautiful gardens, shrubberies etc. - it commands a delightful variegated prospect for many miles around.” Several 19th century maps show a bridleway running round the perimeter of the grounds and the Ancient Woodland. An 1872 map shows a roadway running through what is now Old Chilworth Village, past the Bee Hive cottages and finally linking up with the line of the Roman road which runs through Chilworth Common. ‘Tanners Brook’ on the western boundary of the Estate (associated with the local tannery) is probably the source of the complex network of drainage channels in the area now known as the Ancient Woodland. By 1910 a path was established linking the western perimeter path to the area of secondary woodland.
Read More on The Estate in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Read More on The Estate in the 20th Century
Click on a map below to enlarge