TQ5833 : Sussex Border path , Eridge Park
taken 13 years ago, near to Frant, East Sussex, England
The Sussex Border Path is a footpath route nearly 150 miles long around the inland boundary of the county of Sussex. The county owes its origins to the kingdom of the South Saxons and can claim to have one of the longest inland county boundaries from Emsworth to Rye. The route was devised in 1983 and is well signed along most of the route. Website Link
Map: Link
Eridge Park is one of the oldest deer parks in the country and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The Nevill family inherited the Estate in 1448 and have been here ever since.
In 1787 Henry Nevill, the 2nd Earl of Abergavenny, began building Eridge Castle in exuberant Strawberry Hill Gothic style and in the years following, the landscape was enhanced by opening up vistas, walks and carriage drives, the construction of follies (most notably Saxonbury Tower and the castellated wall at Sham Farm) and the rebuilding of old workers' cottages in ornate Estate style.
In the late 1930s the Castle was demolished and the current Georgian style mansion house was built, which is now the home of the VIth Marquess of Abergavenny, and his family.
The house and formal gardens still enjoy stunning and peaceful views over the Park, although the estate today is also home to a myriad of small businesses occupying former farm and estate buildings, as well as providing a unique venue for weddings and private parties, open air concerts, game and country fairs, film locations and many more.
Website: Link