The park was originally a medieval deer park within the Forest of Worth stretching from Slaugham in the South to Worth in the North, a forest which had formed part of the Warrenne estate since the time of the Norman Conquest.

John Norden's map of 1595 does not show any buildings present in the area, but by 1695 Robert Morden's map was showing a large building on the site. The Tithe map of 1840 refers to a property called "Worth Park House and pleasure grounds".

Abraham Montefiore, a philanthropist and a member of a family of Jewish financiers, bought Worth Park Farm, which was located on the site of the later mansion (and the current tower block) in c.1816. Abraham died in 1824, leaving  the farm to his son, Joseph Mayer Montefiore, who at the time was just 8 years old. Due to age of the heir, the proerty was held in trust by his mother, Henrietta, until he came of age in 1837. By the time the 1840 Tithe map was surveyed his son, Joseph Mayer Montefiore, owned numerous plots of land in the area, but the farm itself was on land owned by Francis Scawen Blunt of Crabbet Park.

At 10:30pm on 11 January 1847 the housekeeper smelt burning coming from the dining room and, on opening the door, was confronted by a fierce fire which ultimately completely destroyed the house. Three years later, on the footprint of the original farmhouse and by commission of Henrietta, the building of Worth Park House commenced and the 10 bedroom, 10 reception room red brick mansion was complete by 1856. By this time, Joseph had also purchased from the Blunts the land on which the building stood.

Between 1883 - 1886 the house was completely remodelled, if not demolished and rebuilt, into the Mansion that was seen into the 1960's. From 1920 to 1960, the house and large parts of the grounds were home to Milton Mount College, a boarding school for girls which had bought the house and gardens when the Worth Park Estate was broken up and sold in 1915 and relocated from their original location in Gravesend, Kent. Crawley Borough Council (as the body is known today) bought the school property in 1963 and, in the name of social engineering, demolished the grand old house in 1968 in favour of the 9 story block of flats that can be seen on the site today.

The elements of the grounds that we can still see today were created between 1884 and 1887 and were comissioned by Sir Frances Abraham Montefiore, Joseph's son. The company of James Pulham and Son, who also designed features for the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Sandringham House, designed and built many of the elements for Worth Park which survive.

The gardens were laid out over four levels to utilise the elevated position of the site. The first level was a formal garden consisting of three circular areas known as the Fountain, Dutch and Sundial. The second level consisted of formal terraces with a staircase and a formal pond surrounded by ball shaped yews. The third area was open parkland and the final area a lake complete with Pulhamite rock features.

There are four structures remaining on the site which are statutorily listed by Historic England:

• Ridley's Court, the purpose built former stables to the house which replaced several outbuildings on the site. Ridley's Court was built in 1882 and consists of a courtyard surrounded on three sides by a two storey range, with an entrance incorporating a three storey tower on the fourth side. The upper floor of the building were servants quarters and the ground floor provided first class facilities for the horses (and carriages).  he building is now split into residential units.
  

• Pulhamite rockery, an ornamental rockery to the north of Ridleys Court and close to the Balcombe Road that was constructed somewhere between 1884 and 1887 by James Pulham & Sons. Pulhamite is an artificial rock invented by James Pulham, who took the 'recipe' for it's contruction to the grave.
  

• Fountain and pond basin. Sited west of the mansion (and current flats) the fountain and pond will be visible to all who visit. This feature was also constructed somewhere between 1884 and 1887 by James Pulham
  

• Pulhamite rock islet in lake. An irregularly-shaped Pulhamite artificial rock islet in the east part of the lake which sits at the bottom of the hill and across Somerville Drive to the north west of the mansion. The feature is about 3m across with 3m visible above the waterline. A tree is growing from a planting pocket on the north side of the feature.

 

 

Text & photographs © Ian Mulcahy, with valued input from Liz Steven of the Worth Park History Society. Contact photos@iansapps.co.uk or visit my 'Use of my photographs' page for licensing queries (ground level photographs only).