This large but unpretentious house was built in 1824 by Joseph Bonsor on the site of an earlier house destroyed by fire.
The original house had been owned for a few years around 1800 by the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
The main part of the house, with its fine colonnade, remains as it was in 1824 but the entrance front was altered and given a cupola later in the 19th century.
In 1906 the house was acquried by the Hon. Ronald Greville and his wife.
Mrs Greville was a charming and determined lady with social ambitions. Her husband's connections took her into the Marlborough House set of Edward VII.
After her husband's death in 1908 ''Ronnie' Greville became a sought-after hostess and entertained the King and many distinguished guests on a grand scale at Polesden Lacey.
George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent part of their honeymoon at the house.
Mrs Greville completely redecorated the interior of the house and furnished it with a fine collection of paintings and furniture.
Some of these were inherited from her father but most were collected by Mrs Greville while at Polesden Lacey. There are a variety of styles in the different rooms.
The corridor around the central courtyard is panelled in Jacobean style, the library is neo-Grecian and the drawing room has a gilded ceiling taken from a Italian palazzo.
The furniture includes French pieces from the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI and Flemish and Italian chairs as well as Chippendale chairs. The china includes work from Dresden and Furstenberg and there is Chinese 17th and 18th century porcelain.
Paintings include works by the Dutch, Italiand and English schools and these are mostly displayed in the corridor around the courtyard.
Mrs Greville died in 1942 and is buried in the grounds. She bequeathed Polesden Lacey to the National Trust as a memorial to her father.
While at Polesden Lacey Sheridan built the long terraced walk which is the most outstanding feature of the garden.
There are extensive walks in the garden which has rose gardens, sweeping lawns and landscaped walks.
House:15 Mar-25 Oct: 11:00-17:00 Wed-Sun; 26 Oct-2 Nov: 11:00-16:00 Wed-Sun. Garden: 16 Feb-25 Oct: 11:00-17:00 Mon-Sun; 26 Oct-23 Dec & 2 Jan-31 Jan : 11:00-16:00 Mon-Sun; Open Bank Hol Mons. Garden closes at dusk if earlier. Garden closed 5 Feb, 19 Nov
Tel: 01372 452048 Polesden Lacey Website
