Tag: Lady Emma

Parham A Jewel Amongst Country Houses

The Long Gallery, © Parham/Rupert Toovey

Since building began in 1577 only three families have lived at Parham. It is a jewel amongst the country houses of the British Isles, the more special because it is still a home stewarded and loved by its current custodians Lady Emma and her husband James Barnard.

Parham is a fine example of an Elizabethan H-plan centred around the traditional Great Hall. It is constructed of sandstone known as Amberley Blue. Stone from Pulborough, Caen and Bath are also employed for the quoins and dressings beneath a Horsham stone roof. Interestingly the house was probably lime washed. Many of the timbers date from the 1570s.

Lady Emma’s great grandparents, Clive and Alicia Pearson, fell in love with Parham as soon as they saw it. The house was in a poor state when they bought it in 1922. They employed the architect Victor Heal to supervise the work and together oversaw the restoration with great attention to detail. Victorian additions were removed and the rooms returned to their original Elizabethan form. The character of the house is also defined by the wonderful collections of paintings, textiles and antique furniture which speak into the English Country House taste. The interiors are comfortable, eclectic and layered giving voice to the passions and interests of successive generations. The pieces were collected for their association with Parham and its story. Clive and Alicia installed heating, electricity and contemporary plumbing.

The Great Hall, Parham © Parham/Jonathan James Wilson

The Great Hall’s original Tudor oak panelling is subtly limed and bathed in light from its tall mullioned windows which face south to the Sussex Downs. It is at the heart of this beautiful home. The fine portraits, the Tudor and later furniture and the four hundred year old narwhal tusk (they were sold by Tudor sailors as Unicorn horns) speak into the procession of our island history and the family which saved and furnished this wonderful house.

The Long Gallery is a remarkable space The famous theatrical set and costume designer, Oliver Messel, painted the ceiling in the Long Gallery which was put in by the Pearsons in the 1960s.

Clive and Alicia opened Parham to the public in 1948, not out of need but out of a genuine desire to share their home with others, a tradition continued by Lady Emma today.

This optimistic place provides a window onto our past and our future, an historical narrative from the first Elizabethan Age to today. Parham house sits confidently and quietly in its landscape and gardens. A visit is the perfect summer holiday treat. To find out more go to www.parhaminsussex.co.uk.

Parham’s Gardens a Place of Beauty, Blessing and Encounter

Parham’s famous Wendy House

There are many beautiful gardens in these sceptred isles but very few have the unique and exceptional voice of Parham’s walled gardens.

The gardens are going through a renaissance thanks to the vision of Head Gardener Andrew Humphris and the patronage of Lady Emma and her husband James. It is more than 30 years since Lady Emma and James came to Parham with their young family and made it their home. They follow in the footsteps of Lady Emma’s great grandparents, Clive and Alicia Pearson, who fell in love with Parham as soon as they saw it. The house was in a poor state when they bought it in 1922. Lady Emma and James’ time has also been marked by renewal and long-term stewardship in this ancient, generous place.

Parham’s famous shimmering blue and golden borders enfold the visitor and engage all your senses. Their rich scent. The thrumming of bees and other insects accompany the bird song as butterflies dance in the heat of the late afternoon. It is exciting to see so much life in these abundant gardens. The light and breeze moves playfully through the exquisite planting where the groupings of plants create flowing compositions of colour and texture. In the blue borders the white umbellifers amplify the upright purple salvia leading your eye and your heart through the borders. The planting is still naturalistic and, reassuringly, instantly recognisable as being in the tradition of the ‘Parham way’ and yet there is something new too. A vital expression of the timeless qualities of this place, and yet fresh and evolving.

Parham’s exquisite blue border with the Dovecote and park in the distance

Away from these borders clouds of soft white hydrangeas and veronicastrum lead you to the Wendy House. It gives the impression of having been part of the walls for centuries but it was designed by Victor Heal and built in 1928 for Clive Pearson’s daughters Veronica, Lavinia and Dione. It is a child-sized cottage with a finely made oak front door beneath a beautiful wrought iron balcony. It provides a wonderful space for children to lose themselves in their imaginations away from their ‘i-Things’. Other borders set off the ancient walls with rich colour.

The garden at Parham is a place of beauty, blessing and encounter and the perfect place to visit as a summer holiday treat. Whether you are visiting for the first time or returning to an old friend, as I often do, Parham’s gardens never fail to delight. Visit www.parhaminsussex.co.uk to find out more and book your visit to the gardens.