History of Leith Hill Place

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View of front exterior of Leith Hill Place, with pink rhododendrons along the drive and a bright pink door. — Leith Hill Place | © National Trust/Richard Knapp

Leith Hill Place, Surrey has long been a place of creativity, refuge, and learning. Naturalist Charles Darwin conducted experiments in the grounds; composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Hans Zimmer were inspired by the landscape and generations of Wedgwoods planted rhododendrons and displayed ceramics from the family firm.

Early history

Positioned high in the Surrey Hills, Leith Hill Place and Tower are built to make maximum use of the panoramic views over 12 counties of south-east England. Writing in 1695, John Evelyn described the view from the tower: ‘The like I think is not to be found in any part of England, or perhaps Europe’.

The site takes its name from the Old English word ‘hlith’, meaning a hillside with a hollow at its foot. The earliest mention of a house at Leith Hill Place is in 1664 when it was owned by Mary Millet, about whom little is known.

18th century

Throughout its history, Leith Hill Place remained a small estate that did not provide income for its owners. Instead, owners derived wealth from various sources, including the the law, commerce, slavery, and manufacturing.

In 1725, Lieutenant-General John Folliot (d. 1748) bought the estate. Folliot commanded troops in the War of the Austrian Succession and was tasked with defending London during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Folliot transformed Leith Hill Place. He enlarged the house, installed sash windows, and faced the south side in expensive Portland stone.

Folliot also built the walled kitchen garden and several cottages on the estate, as well as planting trees and constructing the ha-ha at the bottom of the garden. This concealed ditch ensured the splendid view from the windows of the house was uninterrupted, while keeping animals out of the garden.

Richard Hull (1690–1772) bought the estate in 1754 from Folliot’s heir and built the tower at the top of Leith Hill. He was a merchant from Bristol with connections in Ireland. His nephew sold the property in 1777 to another merchant, Harry Thompson (died 1797), who traded in Portugal.

A hilltop view of a valley with low-lying mist and autumnal leaves on trees as far as the eye can see — The view from Leith Hill in Surrey on a crisp autumn morning | © National Trust Images/John Miller

Developing the estate in the 19th century

In 1798, the house was bought by William Philip Perrin (1742–1820), who owned other property and did not live at Leith Hill Place. Perrin inherited five sugar plantations in Jamaica in 1759, including 135 enslaved people. Letters between Perrin and his agent in Jamaica describe the buying and selling of people, including Dick, a 25-year-old man, and Castile, a 45-year-old woman who was forced to work as a cook and washerwoman on the plantations. Perrin put some of his profits into buying the Leith Hill Place estate and increasing the height of Leith Hill Tower.

Perrin and his heir leased Leith Hill Place to Rev George Rusden (1786–1859) for use as a school for ‘young ladies’ from 1810 to 1829. The estate was then sold to John Smallpiece in 1829, who increased the parkland with the purchase of Etherley Farm. Smallpiece also built the lodge house.

Wedgwood family

In 1847 Josiah Wedgwood (1795–1880) bought Leith Hill Place on his retirement from the family pottery business in Staffordshire. He and his wife, Caroline Darwin (1800–88) and their three daughters came to live in the Surrey Hills.

Caroline was a keen horticulturist who developed the Rhododendron Wood at Leith Hill Place. She introduced plants from North America and Asia, including Rhododendron falconeri. This Himalayan species was first brought to Britain by Joseph Hooker, later the Director of Kew Gardens and a friend of the Darwins. The plant growing at Leith Hill Place is thought to have been grown from seeds collected by Hooker.

A bench beside the flowers in bloom in the Rhododendron Wood, which was planted in the late nineteenth century to create an attractive vista from Leith Hill Place, Surrey — The Rhododendron Wood, which was planted in the late ninetennth century to create an attractive vista from Leith Hill Place | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

Charles Darwin

The naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–82) frequently visited his sister Caroline at Leith Hill Place. He carried out experiments on the estate, often involving his three nieces, Sophy, Margaret and Lucy. One experiment led to the publication of Darwin’s final book, ‘The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms.’ His ‘worm stone’ still exists in the grounds: Darwin observed the stone sinking into the soil over many years and concluded it was moving by the action of earthworms.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Margaret (1842–1937), Caroline and Josiah’s daughter, married Arthur Vaughan Williams in 1868. When she was widowed in 1875, Margaret moved back to Leith Hill Place with her three young children. Her youngest son, Ralph, was taught by his Aunt Sophy to play the piano and composed his first piece of music at the age of 6.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) grew up to become one of the finest British composers of the 20th century. He was inspired by the landscape around him to write pieces, including ‘The Lark Ascending’ (1914), often voted as the nation’s favourite classical piece. In 1905 his sister Margaret founded the Leith Hill Musical Festival, an annual choral competition, for which Ralph was conductor from 1905 to 1953.

Studio portrait, bust length, of the young Ralph Vaughan Williams in a white tie and Eton collar. — The young Ralph Vaughan Williams | © National Trust / Wayne Lagden

Leith Hill Place today

When he inherited Leith Hill Place in 1944, Ralph donated the house and estate to the National Trust. Leith Hill Tower had been in the care of the Trust since 1923.

Ralph’s cousin, Sir Ralph Wedgwood (1874–1956) and his son, Sir John Wedgwood (1907–89) rented the house from 1945 to 1965. The family opened several rooms to the public and displayed their collection of Wedgwood pottery. At a weekend party, young artists created the Grecian-inspired murals in the cellar.

The house was then let to Lord Keyes (1919–2005) who used it as a school. In the 1970s, the school was moved to nearby Hurtwood House and Leith Hill Place became a boarding house for Hurtwood House School until 2010. Hans Zimmer (born 1957), composer and music producer, was a student in the 1970s.

Since 2013, the National Trust has welcomed visitors to Leith Hill Place. Items belonging to Ralph Vaughan Williams, including the piano he used for composition, are on display. Temporary exhibitions continue the tradition of creativity in the house.