The Ravenswood

A house that has stood in the Ashdown Forest since 1426, through the reign of Henry VI to the present day.

Stockbridge acquired The Ravenswood in 2017, taking it out of a consented conversion into residential apartments, and holds it within The Gilchrist Collection. It is a house that was almost lost to the record, and is now kept for the long term.

Provenance

The original farmhouse of 1426, known as Baylewikce, served the bailiff of Thomas Comberhatch’s estate. By 1450 Isaac Mowbraye managed the land, and in 1603 the house was separated from the estate and passed to Giles Hoigges. The 1630s brought a tower and servants’ quarters.

Its owners across the centuries included Ralph Jackson, envoy to Charles II. By the nineteenth century the May family and then Richard Gower held the house, expanding it in 1854, 1863 and 1878. Among its guests were Princess Beatrice and Queen Wilhelmina.

The Grounds

Eighteen acres of the Ashdown Forest surround the house. Within them lie two private lakes, a boathouse, woodland, ruins and a secret garden. The Little Castle stands as a stone ceremony structure, and Rosewood Cottage as a separate residential retreat.

Within

The principal interiors include the Jacobean Suite, the Baronial Hall beneath its wooden beams and grand staircase, and the round Princess Beatrice Suite under a wooden ceiling. The house holds thirty-three bedrooms.

Stockbridge holds The Ravenswood for the long term, restored and stewarded rather than realised.