The Arts & Crafts in Surrey: Lutyens, Jekyll & Voysey

Steeped in history and surrounded by beautiful hills and woodland, the county of Surrey was a focal point for architects working in the Arts & Crafts tradition from 1880 to 1920. The area contains a rich concentration of designs by the renowned architects Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944) and C F A Voysey (1857–1941) and their contemporaries, including the horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932).

Overview

This brand new tour will explore some of the key houses and gardens designed by Lutyens, Jekyll and Voysey in Surrey, setting their work within the stylistic context of the Arts & Crafts movement and the legacies of William Morris, Richard Norman Shaw and Philip Webb, as well as the social context of the patrons who commissioned them and the geographical environment of their often tranquil and leafy settings.

Lutyens is especially well-known for his long-term collaboration with Jekyll, and we will consider the interplay between buildings and gardens by these partners in design. At the heart of our tour will be an exclusive visit to the gardens at Munstead Wood, Jekyll’s former home from the 1890s until her death in 1932. Until recent years the property remained in private ownership, before its acquisition in 2023 by the National Trust. Work is currently underway to restore the Grade I listed house and 11 acres of the original 15-acre garden to preserve them for the nation and create a new “home of horticultural learning and excellence”.

The house stands tribute to the fruitful alliance between the architect and patron/gardener; constructed early in Lutyens’s career, it epitomises his ability to harness Arts & Crafts philosophies through the use of local materials and craftspeople, realising a vision that encapsulates an honesty of materials with a generosity of spirit and unique detailing. While the house undergoes restoration, we hope to enjoy access to the grounds to view the exterior and surrounding gardens, and learn about the artistic and educational plans for the site.

Jekyll’s signature style is exemplified in the gardens at Munstead Wood, both in the form of original planting schemes and careful recreations and restorations by previous owners and Head Gardeners. Jekyll was captivated by the locality, absorbing aspects of the nearby landscape with its heathlands, holloways and woodlands into her designs, and skillfully integrating other points of inspiration – from plants encountered on her Mediterranean travels to her own artistic training and understanding of colour theory. 

We will also enjoy a privileged visit to Goddards, considered one of Lutyens’s most important early houses. Built in 1898–1900 and later enlarged by the architect in 1910, this exquisite house is approached via quintessential Surrey sunken lanes or ‘holloways’, tunnel-like in their wooded depths. The house was originally commissioned by businessman Frederick Mirrielees “as a Home of Rest to which ladies of small means might repair for holiday” (architectural writer Lawrence Weaver, 1913) and is now leased by the Lutyens Trust to the Landmark Trust. 

Also active in the area during this period was the architect and furniture and textile designer C F A Voysey, who had studied and worked with church architect J P Seddon, from whom he absorbed the principles of ‘honest’ design and construction of buildings expounded by A W N Pugin. Voysey was also interested in vernacular and craft design, and worked on various country and suburban houses. 

A special visit to Norney Grange, close to Shackleford, will enable an appreciation of a beautifully restored private house designed by Voysey, notable for its striking arched entranceway, gabled roofs and what Pevsner considered “one of Voysey’s most thrilling interiors: a central double-height hall… circles and segmental curves are everywhere in the details”. The façade, gardens and graceful interiors of the Grade II listed property were used as a location for the well-received 2021 Netflix movie The Dig.

Our itinerary also features other important sites in Surrey linked to the Arts & Crafts movement, including the village of Thursley, where Lutyens was raised, and Limnerslease House – once home of Victorian artists Mary and George Frederic Watts and now part of the site of the Watts’ Gallery and Artists’ Village. We also look forward to visiting the internationally renowned Vann Garden. Here, exquisite formal garden rooms designed by Arts & Crafts architect W D Caröe are complemented by the Water Garden, planted by Jekyll in 1911.

In addition to visiting these important houses and gardens, we will step inside the Arts & Crafts Gallery at Godalming Museum, dedicated to Lutyens and Jekyll, as well as their Surrey contemporaries, such as the artists and illustrators Myles Birket Foster and Helen Allingham. The latter was particularly steeped in the inspiration of her surroundings. The objects and artefacts presented here will complement our site visits, enabling a deeper and richer understanding of the Arts & Crafts traditions of Victorian Surrey. 

Cost Details

The Arts & Crafts in Surrey: Lutyens, Jekyll & Voysey