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You’d be right
in thinking that we have a story to tell! The earliest building
dates back to the middle of the 13th Century. This medieval house
was built with walls up to three and half feet thick.
The remains of a moat can still be seen to the
front. Part of the 15th Century Great Hall remains, containing
oak paneling believed to date back to the 14th Century. Timber,
mellowed brick and native Horsham stone have been blended by time
and by craftsmen of many centuries to produce a gem of English
domestic architecture.
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Set as it was, on the main London to Brighton
coach road, all manner of wayfarers have passed the Manor’s doors. The Merchant, the dashing Cavalier, the reckless Gentleman of the road, the red-coated Soldier and pig-tailed Sailor, each off to the giddy whirl of London life to spend his hard earned money – a contrast to the more leisurely life at the Manor.
From the earliest days, the Manor’s occupiers earned their living form the soil. Known as ‘Hyders’ in the 19th Century, the 1851 census shows it to have been a farm of 126 acres – an average sized farm with exceptionally above average buildings, steeped in history and the magic of the past. The Gatwick Manor stands as a poignant reminder of the area’s tranquil past.
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