Greyfriars House - A Mansion in the Surrey Hills Information

Greyfriars House - A Mansion in the Surrey Hills. A venue specialising in Weddings, Special Occasions, Corporate Events, Music and location Shoots and many others. Set high above the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Greyfriars lawns are level with the treetops below. Architect CFA Voysey's great masterpiece is one of Britain's most important Arts & Crafts houses, and the link with modernist architecture. History The Greyfriars Estate was established in 1896 by the American playright Julian Sturgis. Sturgis commissioned the leading Arts and Crafts architect, CFA Voysey to build a mansion for a spectacular setting in the Surrey Hills, and Voysey excelled himself by producing twenty sheets of detailed drawings (now held in the collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London). The commission for Greyfriars came when Voysey's career had reached its height and he was being privately engaged to produce ambitious and grand houses for the wealthy. Today, Greyfriars, considered by many to be Voysey's masterpiece, retains many of its original features including copper fireplaces, staircases, and of course his signature heart-shaped motifs - the letterbox, door hinges, and even heart shaped keys. Protected by English Heritage as a "building of more than special importance" (Grade II* listed), it contains wood panelled rooms, high vaulted ceilings, impressive fireplaces and stone mullioned windows.