ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <title>Park House - Hidden Horsham</title> <meta name="keywords" content="Park House, Hidden Horsham, Francis Frith, Horsham photos"> <meta name="description" content="Park House. Photos on Hidden Horsham reveal architectural and structural detail that the eye normally misses."> <link rel="icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://www.hiddenhorsham.co.uk/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="Stylesheet" href="/styles/style.css" type="text/css"> </HEAD> <BODY> <A NAME="TOP"></A> <TABLE class="wideness"><TR><TD> <A HREF="/index.htm"> <IMG SRC="/images/topbanner.jpg" alt="click to go to the home page" border=0> </A> </TD> </TR> <TR><TD><iframe class=head scrolling="no" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="/menu/menuhh.htm"></iframe></TD></TR> <TR> <TD> <TABLE ALIGN="right" border=0> <TR> <TD class=strip></TD> <TD VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="120"> <IFRAME class=menu SCROLLING="no" FRAMEBORDER="0" MARGINHEIGHT="0" MARGINWIDTH="0" SRC="/menu/menu.htm"></IFRAME> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <H2>Hidden Horsham - Park House</H2> <TABLE class=thumbs align=left><TR><TD> <A HREF="/images/hh/full/18.jpg" target="_blank"> <IMG class=edge SRC="/images/hh/page/18.jpg" alt="Hidden Horsham Park House 18" width=295 height=225 border=0 align=left></A></TD></TR> <TR><TD><P class=c> Park House</P> </TD></TR> </TABLE> <P>Park House, home of Horsham District Council is on North Street but seen in this view from the park. It was built in 1720 by John Wicker, later lord of Nutham, who had made his fortune as a brewer. Between the years 1771 ans 1777 it was leased by diarist and cricket fan John Baker who used the grounds to grow meadow hay</P> <P>Robert Hurst, lawyer and MP for Steyning and later Horsham, bought the house in 1799 and it remained in the family until 1929. It was sold with the grounds to Horsham Urban Council who used it for offices. In the early 1980s it was fully restored after a fire. The family plot for the Hurst family is still evident at the <A HREF="/38/38.htm">Denne Road Graveyard</A></P> <P>Click on the image to the left for an aerial view, in the centre for the full size photo from the park grounds and click on the image to the right for the view of Park House from the car park at the front</P> <TABLE BORDER=0 class=thumbs><TR> <TD><A HREF="http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=51.065084~-0.322785&style=h&lvl=18&scene=1915478" target="_blank" class="opac" ><IMG SRC="/images/hh/aerial/a18.jpg" alt="aerial view" border=0></TD> <TD><A HREF="/images/hh/full/18a.jpg" target="_blank" class="opac"><IMG SRC="/images/hh/thumbs/18a.jpg" alt="Hidden Horsham Park House at a distance" border=0></A></TD> <TD><A HREF="/images/hh/full/18b.jpg" target="_blank" class="opac"><IMG SRC="/images/hh/thumbs/18b.jpg" alt="Hidden Horsham Park House from the front" border=0></A></TD> <TD></TD> </TR></TD></TABLE> <BR> <TABLE CLASS=nairn><TR><TD><P> 'This has a blunt take-it-or-leave-it East front, Wren style, locally done. Nine bays, central pediment, central door-case just as Wren used at Winslow, Bucks, banded rustication, not quoins, and segment-headed windows, dour concessions to the English Baroque'<BR> <A HREF="/88/nairn.htm">Ian Nairn 1965</P> </TD></TR></TABLE> <P>The images below show Park House in 1955 and earlier in 1929 before the addition on the right hand side. Prior to moving into Park House the council offices were at the <A HREF="/22/anchorhotel.htm">Anchor Hotel</A> (now Bar Vin) in Market Square. The thumbnail to the right shows Park House and its entrance path. Click <A HREF="/hh/frith2.htm#119073">here</A> for a <B>then and now</B> comparison</P> <TABLE><TR><TD VALIGN=TOP> <!--Image from The Francis Frith Collection --> <a href="http://www.francisfrith.com/pageloader.asp?page=/search/photos/viewphotos.asp&townid=h119&cid=10&partner=uk&fpn=6076" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: #333333;" target="_blank"> <img src="/images/frith/h119073.jpg" width="300" alt="Horsham, Council Offices c1955. (Neg. H119073) © Copyright The Francis Frith Collection 2006. http://www.francisfrith.com" style="border: 1px solid #999999;"><br />Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection. </a> <!--End image from The Francis Frith Collection --> </TD><TD VALIGN=TOP> <!--Image from The Francis Frith Collection --> <a href="http://www.francisfrith.com/pageloader.asp?page=/search/photos/viewphotos.asp&townid=h119&cid=10&partner=uk&fpn=6076" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: #333333;" target="_blank"> <img src="/images/frith/82447.jpg" width="300" alt="Horsham, Park 1929. (Neg. 82447) © Copyright The Francis Frith Collection 2006. http://www.francisfrith.com" style="border: 1px solid #999999;"><br />Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection. </a> <!--End image from The Francis Frith Collection --> </TD></TR></TABLE> <TABLE BORDER=0 class=info > <TR><TD width=19%><P>Fact File</P></TD><TD width=27%><P>Location: <A HREF="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=RH12+1RL&ll=51.064783,-0.322702&spn=0.004666,0.016651" target="_blank">RH12 1RL</A></P></TD><TD width=27%><P> Build Date: 1720</P></TD><TD width=27%><P> Listed: <A HREF="http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=298178" target="_blank">Yes</P></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <TABLE BORDER=0 class=info > <TR><TD><P>External Links:</P> <P><A HREF="http://www.horsham.gov.uk" target="_blank">Horsham District Council</A></P> </TD></TR> </TABLE> <H3><A HREF="/17/17.htm" class=opac><IMG SRC="/images/back.gif" alt="click for the previous image" border=0></A><A HREF="/20/20.htm" class=opac><IMG SRC="/images/fwd.gif" alt="click for the next image" border=0></A></H3> <HR> <P>Contributions, comments and suggestions are welcomed. Please use the <A HREF="/hh/contact.htm" title="feedback page">contact</A> page to let us know your thoughts. More information on the images is always welcomed</P> <TR><TD> <iframe class=footer scrolling="no" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="/menu/footer.htm"></iframe> </TD> </TR> <TR><TD><H3><A HREF="/hh/copyright.htm"><IMG SRC="/images/copyright.gif" alt="copyright text image" border=0></A></H3></TD></TR> </TABLE> </BODY> </HTML>