St George?s Hill has seen its fortunes wax and wane over the years, and many of the original Tarrant houses have been demolished and their splendid gardens and grounds split up to provide sites for one or more gilded mansions. One of the prettiest, Woodhall on Old Avenue, was built in 1926 and divided into two the other half being named the Wishing Well House after it failed to sell at auction in 1949.
In 1970, the present owners bought the Wishing Well House, and, 10 years later, also secured Woodhall to restore the 8,800sq ft building to its original configuration. However, they retained the name of Wishing Well House which now has accommodation on three floors including a grand, oak panelled reception hall, four reception rooms, an orangery, a conservatory, a kitchen/breakfast room, master and guest suites, four further bedrooms, three further bathrooms, and extensive staff accommodation.
Continuity is also the name of the game in the magical, south facing gardens, where the same gardener has cast his spell for the past 25 years. Knight Frank quote a guide price of £3.25m.
This article was originally published in Country Life magazine, February 2, 2005.
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