Unstead Manor, Godalming

Unstead Manor, or Unstead Farm as it was formerly known, is a fine example of Surrey vernacular architecture. Essentially a 14th Century hall house with a 16th Century cross wing added to the left, it was thought by Gertrude Jeykyll to be 'one of the best and earliest examples in the county of the use of oak timber'. Whilst 19th Century writers such as Ralph Nevill discussed the building's historical significance (see his Old Cottage & Domestic Architecture, South West Surrey, 1891), the house's pictorial qualities were widely exploited by contemporary artists. Two watercolours of Unstead by Helen Allingham were sold by Christie's in London (on 19 September 1991, from the Marley Collection, lots 31 and 55). Kate Greenaway exhibited a view of the house entitled An Old Farm House at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1891, and the farm was also depicted in the 1877 Routledge edition of The Poems of Oliver Goldsmith illustrating 'The Traveller' in an engraving by Edmund Evans after Myles Birket Foster. During the 18th Century the house belonged to the Onslow family but thereafter had several owners. It was rescued from dereliction in 1986, and having been carefuly restored can still be seen near Godalming today.

We are grateful to Annabel Watts for her help in preparing this entry.