Sheffield Park

Sheffield Park is a gorgeous parkland of water, redwoods, rhodedendra and azaleas with a lively political, historical, military and sporting background.

It was first given to his  half brother Robert Mortain by William the Conqueror, its owners after him were the aristocratic families the Howards, Sackvilles and Nevilles until John Baker Holroyd – who became the first Earl of Sheffield – acquired it in 1770 for £30,000. He commissioned Capability Brown to landscape the wonderful gardens and  lakes that exist today.

Although of different political views, backgrounds and locations the first Earl had a lifelong friendship with historian Edward Gibbon. Though Gibbon lived in Lausanne he wrote Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in the library of Sheffield House.

The third earl was a passionate cricket lover who built a cricket ground and was President of Sussex CCC. He arranged a match between England, with W.G. Grace starring, and the touring Australians. He financed an England tour to Australia even making a gift of £150 to a championship in Australia which still bears his name, the Sheffield Shield. Sadly he had no sense of finance and died in debt.

The house was acquired by one of his creditors Arthur Soames. His wife Nellie lived to almost 100 and after her death the house and grounds passed to Christopher Soames, the well known politician. The house is in private ownership but its grounds were acquired by the National Trust in 1954.

It was in a state needing repair as it had not recovered from the its use between 1941–44 by 3 Canadian regiments there for the disastrous Dieppe raid – a sop to criticism of not starting a second front – that cost 3,600 lives. The Canadian Tank regiment billeted there were among the first to land in Normandy on 6 June 1944.

I visited it yesterday.  It was a glorious day and there were no more than 10 people in the parkland.

I was immediately struck by the fusion of water and trees which endowed the parkland in a natural light aided by the rich colours of nature on the foliage and trees.

It took about a hour to visit the 3 ponds and cricket pitch but I missed out on the woodlands to the north of the gardens. Visitors to this delightful corner of Sussex might also enjoy the nearby Bluebell Railway.

What a beautiful county Sussex is and how privileged we are those of of us who live there.