A 1½-hour guided tour of the newly-restored Valentines Mansion (appropriately re-opened on 14 February) will take place from 2pm on 25 August. This is an extra outing, which has not been advertised on our programme brochure or in the Newsletter. As numbers are limited early booking is advised, and priority will be given to Hornsey Historical Society members. Booking is by ‘phone to Rachael Macdonald (020 8889 7388). If necessary leave your name and ‘phone number. The cost of £3 is payable on the day but pre-booking is essential.
Travel is by 123 ‘bus from Wood Green or tube to Gants Hill, or there is limited parking in the grounds (currently free of charge). We meet at 1.55pm at the information desk (entry through the north portico). We shall be shown round this lovely house and colourful formal gardens and then be free to visit the new café in the Gardener’s Cottage or outside in the kitchen garden, and wander round the landscaped area with the help of a well-produced picture-map (or come early and have lunch!). The Long Water canal, shell grotto, Jacob’s Well, Bishop’s Walk and “wilderness” are a must, and the varied waterfowl on the fish pond are worth seeing. The house and café close at 5pm but the landscape gardens remain open as does Valentine’s Park, even bigger and with some points of historical interest, such as the bandstand, boating lake, drinking fountain and clocktower. There is also a café in the park, and although a considerable walk from the mansion, any gate on the west side opens into Cranbrook Road for the 123 back up to Gants Hill tube or direct to Wood Green.
Brief History of Valentines Mansion
The house was built in around 1696 for Elizabeth Tillotson and her family, after the death of her husband, the Archbishop of Canterbury. At that time the new brick house stood in open countryside, several miles from the edge of London. Valentines has changed hands many times since then. City merchant and banker Robert Surman bought the estate in 1720s and created the walled gardens, dovecote and grottoes.
In the 1760s owner Sir Charles Raymond spent part of his fortune renovating Valentines, giving the house its Georgian appearance. Sarah Ingleby, the last private resident of Valentines, died in 1906 and the Council acquired the house in 1912. Since then, the mansion has been home to wartime refugees, a hospital, a public health centre, and a council housing department. After standing empty for 15 years, Valentines has now been restored with Redbridge Council and Heritage Lottery funds.
