Norbury Park
There was a cluster of places in Surrey, about 20-25 miles south of London, of importance in Fanny’s life, all quite close together – Mickleham, where her sister lived; Norbury Park where the Locks lived; West Humble where the d’Arblays built Camilla Cottage and Juniper Hall where the French émigrés were housed. Two other locations in the area were Bagden Hill where the d’Arblays lived for a short time after they married in rooms in a rambling farmhouse, Fenice Farm and Great Bookham where they rented a cottage which Fanny called “The Hermitage”.
Thursday Oct 14 1784 Fanny writes to Susan:
“I arrived at dear Norbury Park at about seven o’clock, after a pleasant ride in the dark. Locke most kindly and cordially welcomed me; he came out upon the steps to receive me, and his beloved Fredy (his wife) waited for me in the vestibule. Oh, with what tenderness did she take me to her bosom!… A few days later, she wrote that Mrs Locke “ordered a fiddler, that they might have a dance in the evening”.
She described life at Norbury Park in fulsome terms attributing the peace and delight “all from that internal contentment which Norbury Park seems to have gathered from all corners of the world into its own sphere.”
“Our mornings, if fine, are to ourselves, as Mr Locke rides out; if bad, we assemble in the picture room. We have two books in public reading: Madame de Sevigne’s ‘Letters’, and Cook’s last ‘Voyage’. Mrs Locke reads the French, myself the English….Our conversations, too, are such as I could almost wish to last for ever. Mr. Locke has been all himself, – all instruction, information, and intelligence, – since we have been left alone; and the invariable sweetness, as well as judgment, of all he says, leaves, indeed, nothing to wish.”
Portrait of William Lock of Norbury 1732-1810 by Sir Thomas Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Mr and Mrs Locke
Fanny was introduced to the area by William and Frederica Locke who lived at Norbury Park. William Locke (maybe Locke if a relationship with John Locke, the political philosopher was sought) was a wealthy amateur art connoisseur and collector. Frederica was very well connected with Frederick the Great her godfather. Dr Burney and Fanny had met them in London where they had a fashionable town house in Portland Place. In 1784 Dr Burney visited them with Sir Joshua Reynolds and it was about this time that Fanny started to visit them at Norbury Park sometimes with Susan before she married.
It was with Mrs Locke that Fanny became particularly friendly. And when Susan went to live in Mickleham the friendship with the Burneys became even closer. In fact, Susan’s son Norbury was born at Norbury Park. The episode was recounted to Fanny by King George when he visited Mrs Delany with whom Fanny was staying.
On the death of William Locke in October 1810, Thomas Lawrence wrote to his friend Elizabeth Croft, “I am not afraid of forgetting this dear man; and know that I am the better for his life, and for his death. It is thus a blessing, as well as a distinction, to have known him”. Locke had given him twenty years of unfailing support and friendship. Locke was one of his first sitters, had introduced him to other potential sitters and he was one of the first to lend him money in his early days.
Sir Thomas told Fanny that in all his experience he had never seen a second Mr. Lock
Portrait of Mrs Locke by Downman
Fanny quotes a conversation with the King and the Queen about Norbury, her sister Susan’s child.
The queen said, “He is a pretty little boy; and when he goes to school, it will do him good”.
“Where will she send him?” said the king.
The queen, looking at me, with a smile answered,
“To the school where Mr Locke puts his sons. I know that!”
“And where is that?”
“Indeed I don’t know; where is it, Miss Burney?”
“At Cheam, ma’am.”
“Oh, at young Gilpin’s?”
cried the king. “Is it near Mr. Locke’s?”
“Yes, sir, within about six miles, I believe.”
The queen then, with a little arch smile, that seemed to premise she should make me stare, said,
“It was there, at Mr. Locke’s, your sister laid in?”
“O yes, ma’am!” cried I, out of breath with surprise.
The king repeated my “O yes!” and said, “I fancy – by that O – you were frightened a little for her? What?
I could not but assent to that; and the King, who seemed a good deal diverted at the accident – for he loves little babies too well to look upon it, as most people would, to be a shocking business questioned me about it.
“How was it?” said he, – “how happened it? Could not she get home?”
“It was so sudden, sir, and so unexpected, there was no time.”
“I dare say,” said the sweet queen, “Mrs Locke was only very happy to have it at her house.”
Indeed, ma’am, cried I,”her kindness, and Mr. Locke’s would make anybody think so but they are all kindness and goodness.”
“I have heard indeed,” said the queen, “that they are all sensible, and amiable, and ingenuous, in that family.”
“They are indeed, cried I, “and as exemplary as they are accomplished”.
“I have never seen Mrs. Locke,” said the King, “since she was that high;”
– pointing to Little Miss Dewes.
“And I,” said the queen “I have never seen her in my life; but for all that, from what I hear of her, I cannot help feeling interested whenever I only hear her name.”
Watercolour-Beech Trees at Norbury Park by JMW Turner 1797
The Drive Norbury Park oil painting by George Barret snr 1775
Norbury Park Estate
William Locke bought the estate in 1766 but abandoned the original site of the manor house on the floodplain of the River Mole and constructed a new house, designed in 1774 by the architect Thomas Sandby (who designed the first purpose-built Freemasons’ Hall in London). He commissioned the Irish landscape artist George Barrett Sr. to decorate one of the main reception rooms and also invited J. M. W. Turner to the estate to paint.
Norbury Park was in the parish of Mickleham in the Mole valley on the west side of the village of Mickleham. Its well-wooded slopes rose steeply up from the river Mole. At the southern end of the village on the east is Box Hill which was almost precipitous in places; the top of Box Hill is 700ft above the sea. Box Hill was the site of the unhappy picnic in Jane Austen’s novel Emma where Frank Churchill declared “Let everybody on the Hill hear me if they can. Let my accents swell to Mickleham on one side, and Dorking on the other…”
Juniper Hall was just beyond Box Hill and on a spur, overlooking Juniper Hall, is a round tower said to have been built by Thomas Broadwood.
In Norbury Park there is a famous grove of giant ancient yews, known as the Druid’s Walk, maybe part of what is now known as “The Pilgrims’ Way” near Bagden Farm which was where some brass Roman coins were found in 1788.
Another place, visited by Fanny and guests was Painshill Park towards Cobham on the river Mole. It had been imaginatively created by the Hon Charles Hamilton and in the early 1770s it was crowded with visitors wanting to see the Gothic Tower, the grotto, the lawns winding around the river Mole with Palladian and Chinese bridges.
“This sweet place is beautiful even yet, though no longer of a beauty young and blooming, such as you left it; but the character Of the prospect is so ‘grand that winter cannot annihilate its charms, though it greatly diminishes them. The variety of the grounds, and the striking form of the hills, always afford something new to observe, and contain something lasting to admire. Were I, however, in a desert, people such as these would make it gay and cheery.”
My Trip to Norbury Park
After Mr Locke died, his son took over but sold up in 1812. It had an unsettled time after that and was broken up in 1914. The house, stud farm and 624 acres of parkland were sold off. In 1930 Surrey County Council bought 1.340 acres to protect the land from development and this is managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust.
The house and 42 acres were bought and sold – at one time Dr Marie Stopes lived there until her death in 1958; an industrialist, Philip Spencer bought it in 1967; Chapmans lived there for 10 years including the time when there was a fire in 2005; it was the second home of a Georgian/Russian Arkady Patarkatisishvili who died in suspicious circumstances in 2008. It now belongs to a trust.
We did not see the house, but the woodland grounds are used by walkers and families with great pleasure. It is very beautiful and on a sunny day especially so.
We were able to drive up the steep, twisting road of Box Hill adjoining Norbury to the kiosk of the National Trust. Wonderful views of the surrounding area of natural beauty. How good that this area has been protected by the National Trust and Surrey Wildlife Trust. It was quite steep so we could not imagine how Jane Austen’s picnickers managed to climb any distance even if they did have servants to carry all the food and equipment.
Views from the lane beside the church looking towards Blagden Hill, where the newly-wed d’Arblays rented a couple of rooms in the farmhouse
