Relationship’, ‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Churchill, the War Years’ and ‘Amazing Grace’.
The Rose Garden
no electricity, heating or hot water. When in 1946 the house was inherited by their son, James More-Molyneux and his wife, there was no money, no heating or electricity, a leaking roof and death duties to be paid. They accepted the challenge: Loseley had been in the family for over 400 years and was worth working for. The farming business was developed and they also founded Guildway Limited, which started with the production of concrete blocks and progressed to the construction of pre-fabricated houses which were exported all over the world. The house was opened to the public in 1951, and in 1968 Loseley Dairy Products was started, with the production of cheese followed by yoghurt and then ice cream. At its peak, it was supplying some 1,500 customers in London and the Home Counties, exporting to the Far East, Middle East and also Italy. Customers in the UK included Harrods, Fortnum & Mason’s, and British Airways. In 1985, due to increased overseas competition, the business was sold to Booker plc and in 2010 the Jersey herd was dispersed. The buildings used for yoghurt and ice cream production now house a variety of small businesses. In 1998, James More-Molyneux passed on the running of the estate to his son Michael who lives there to this day with his wife, children and mother. His eldest son Alexander and his wife live and work on the estate together with their daughter and twin sons. The estate is currently 1,400 acres, comprising 140 acres of woodland and 650 acres arable crops farmed under a Farmed Tenancy business. It employs 25 full-time members of staff and double this number during the summer months. Loseley welcomes over 100,000 visitors every year who come to see the house and garden or attend some of the events which include a gardening show, craft fair, dog show and a ploughing match and country fair. Loseley also host more than 80 civil weddings and receptions, and have been used as a film location for productions including ‘Emma’, ‘Foyle’s War’, ‘The Special 16
On Monday September 29th 2014, work began on erecting scaffolding over Loseley House. To hide the scaffolding, a large screen covers the front with a photograph of the house printed on it. The last time the house was re-roofed was in 1856 and a partial re-roof took place in 1956. The slates are being replaced with tiles which will be more in-keeping with the house when it was built in 1562. All the events will continuing to take place and the work will be completed by May 20th. By this time all the scaffolding will have been removed from site and Loseley will stand proudly with its new roof which hopefully will last for another 120 years. The gardens The 2.5 acre Walled Garden has had many lives since it was laid out formally in the 16th century, including an organic vegetable garden, orchard and designs by the renowned Gertrude Jekyll. The Walled Garden has been carefully restored over the past few years and is now one of Loseley’s main features. It contains a series of ‘rooms’ including an award winning rose garden with over 1,000 bushes, an extensive herb garden, a colourful fruit and flower garden, a white garden with fountains and an organic vegetable garden. It also features a Mulberry tree reputedly planted by Queen Elizabeth I. The herb garden is divided into four separate sections – culinary, medicinal, household and decorative and contains over 200 herbs, some of which date back to ancient times. Other features include a magnificent vine walk, ancient wisteria and the moat border. The most recent addition is a 2.5 acre wild flower meadow, planted on what used to be the Loseley cricket pitch. FIND OUT MORE
Loseley gardens are open to the public from May and the house in June – entrance to the house ends in August and to the grounds in September. Visits to Loseley House are by guided tour only and last around 50 minutes. Key dates: Spring Garden Show - 17th-19th April; May Craft Fair - 13th-14th May; Summer Garden Show 24th-26th July; Teddy Bears Picnic Day – Sunday 9th August; and Country Fair and Ploughing Match - 27th September. For more information, please call 01483 304440 or visit www.loseleypark.co.uk.
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