Newbuildings Place was built by Philip Caryll in the 17th century, around 1683. Caryll's family owned the estate for over 100 years.[1] The house was built with numerous priest holes, as the Caryll family were Roman Catholic.[1] It is situated around 1.5 miles (2.4km) from the church in Shipley, West Sussex.[2]
In the 1820s and 1830s, paupers were housed at Newbuildings Place.[3] In 1833, some of the paupers damaged the house by using its wood panelling for firewood.[4]
The building is a former home of Wilfrid Scawen Blunt,[5] an author, poet and Arabian horse breeder.[1] Blunt originally lived in the house from 1870 to 1872, during which time he added oak to the house's porch and panelling.[3] He moved back into Newbuildings Place in 1906, after his separation from Lady Anne Blunt.[6] Whilst living there, he bought tapestries and furniture from William Morris, which still survive in the house.[1] Blunt is buried in a tomb in the house's grounds;[6] in his will, he requested to be buried in the house's woods in his travelling carpet rather than in a coffin.[7][8]
The grounds of the house contain a Grade II listed barn,[9] and a Grade II listed dovecote.[10]
Architecture
Newbuildings Place is built in the Artisan Mannerist style, with some interior features matching the Jacobean style.[2] The style of the building is unusual for houses in Sussex, whereas it is more common in Kent and Surrey.[2] The house is built of stone, including Horsham Stone, and has two storeys.[1] The kitchen and cellar are original to the house.[1] The façades of the house contain two gables.[3][2] The roof of the building is made of Horsham stone slab.[1]
