Highley Manor

A Sussex seat with origins in 1669, associated with the Shelley family and the poet who bore their name.

Stockbridge holds Highley Manor within The Gilchrist Collection, in the Sussex Downs near Haywards Heath.

Provenance

Highley Manor was a Shelley family residence from 1669. In the early nineteenth century the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley resided here. The original manor later fell into disuse and was demolished, and the present house was raised in its place.

In the nineteen-twenties Edward, Prince of Wales, is said to have entertained here. During the Second World War the house served as a base for the Canadian Army. It was later restored by Bruce Stewart.

The Grounds

Seven acres of the Sussex Downs surround the house, with a pavilion overlooking the hills, a secret garden and lawns for games.

Within

The Great Hall and the Baronial Hall serve the more intimate gatherings, with the Ballroom for the larger. The house holds eighteen bedrooms, each distinct.

Stockbridge holds Highley Manor for the long term, a house of literary and architectural memory maintained and stewarded rather than realised.