15 replies to this topic

[SteveAJones]

[eternal light]

Was this the house shown in The Song Remains The Same?

[SteveAJones]

Was this the house shown in The Song Remains The Same?

Yes. It's Peter Grant's moated manor house in the Village of Hellingly, Sussex. It was built in 1450 AD. There is actually a public foot path which leads to the drawbridge
if anyone is inclined to take a look. I've photographed it myself, in addition to having
vintage images acquired at auction.

[SteveAJones]

Horselunges Manor
Hellingley, Sussex, England
Winter 2011

[Silver Rider]

^Impressive photos! Thank you for posting them.

Horselunges Manor is a 16th century manor house that was restored in 1925 by Walter Godfrey and is one of the most spectacular timber houses in Sussex.

information-britain.co.uk

It also has a hospital nearby.

abandoned-britain.com


Horselunges Manor, Hellingly

britishlistedbuildings.co.uk

Edited by Silver Rider, 21 February 2011 - 02:49 AM.

[SteveAJones]

^Impressive photos! Thank you for posting them.

The links provided suggest two different dates for it's origins. I'm sticking with 1490 A.D., ascertained from a Sussex Archeological Society Book (1925) - complete with floorplans - in my archive.

Having gone to Horselunges Manor on my own photographic excursion years ago I'm pleased to report the footprints alongside the moat in the recent winter photos are attributable to that pathway being part of a public footpath, meaning anyone in the vicinity is welcomed to take see the grandeur of the manor for themselves.

Edited by SteveAJones, 21 February 2011 - 03:56 AM.

[mstork]

The links provided suggest two different dates for it's origins. I'm sticking with 1490 A.D., ascertained from a Sussex Archeological Society Book (1925) - complete with floorplans - in my archive.

Having gone to Horselunges Manor on my own photographic excursion years ago I'm pleased to report the footprints alongside the moat in the recent winter photos are attributable to that pathway being part of a public footpath, meaning anyone in the vicinity is welcomed to take see the grandeur of the manor for themselves.

Thanks Steve, more interesting stuff as usual! What a beautiful home.

Is it still in Grant's family? If not, who owns it now?

[Silver Rider]

Is it still in Grant's family? If not, who owns it now?

It seems that Mr. R. P. Rowe owned it in 1952.

Date Listed: 13 October 1952

This moated timber-framed house was built at the end of the C15 by John
Devenish, who died in 1477, or by his son Sir John Devenish, who died before
1518. It was restored in 1925 by Mr W H Godfrey for the present owner Mr
R P Rowe.

britishlistedbuildings.co.uk

Edited by Silver Rider, 21 February 2011 - 05:54 PM.

[SteveAJones]

Is it still in Grant's family? If not, who owns it now?

Peter Grant sold Horselunges Manor circa 1990 and moved to a flat in Eastbourne. It's escalating maintenance and heating costs (several hundred pounds a month!) was a primary reason he chose to do so.

[Fon]

I went to school with Warren Grant, son of Peter Grant and remember going here as a child. Shame I didn't really understand who Led Zepplin were at the time. I just remember being scared by Peter Grant!!!

Edited by Fon, 02 April 2011 - 02:54 PM.

[S. Flavius Mercurius]

What an amazing-looking place. You can't get much of a feel for it from the opening scenes of the movie, but these postcards and pictures do it justice. Just the type of place that I'd imagine Peter living in!

[The_Minxter]

Georgeous building, i've a real passion for anything pre 18th century

Edited by The_Minxter, 06 February 2012 - 01:53 PM.

[S. Flavius Mercurius]

Georgeous building, i've a real passion for anything pre 18th century

Same here. A house built in the 1400's is bound to have a vibe when you walk into it!

[Sagittarius Rising]

Peter Grant sold Horselunges Manor circa 1990 and moved to a flat in Eastbourne. It's escalating maintenance and heating costs (several hundred pounds a month!) was a primary reason he chose to do so.

I can't say anything regarding general maintenance for a 15th century estate as I am sure it is a whopper, especially with the English climate. Heating costs though are another matter, a few hundred pounds a month is what we pay in Phoenix, AZ for a typical electric A/C bill in the summer. I have a friend who owns a 8,000 sq ft home and before he put the solar panels on the roof his cooling expense per month was over $1,300!!! Thank god for solar!

[Little Robert Anthony II]

I can't say anything regarding general maintenance for a 15th century estate as I am sure it is a whopper, especially with the English climate. Heating costs though are another matter, a few hundred pounds a month is what we pay in Phoenix, AZ for a typical electric A/C bill in the summer. I have a friend who owns a 8,000 sq ft home and before he put the solar panels on the roof his cooling expense per month was over $1,300!!! Thank god for solar!

I don't know for sure, but electric bills in England might be less than the US because it's typically warmer in the Winter and cooler in the Summer there than in the US on average. I'm originally from the Boston, MA area and now live in South Florida. My electric costs in Boston were pretty low because the heat in my apartment building was provided and paid for by the management of the building. However, with the almost constant heat here in South Florida, the bill is pretty high here, especially in the Summer.

[NealR2000]

Following the death of John Bonham, and the end of Led Zeppelin, Peter became a recluse in the house. He would send staff out to buy sandwiches at Marks and Spencers, and generally spent his time in bed, battling cocaine addiction. The house is very fragile, and required enormous sums on heating and general upkeep. Peter was not regularly pulling in the vast amounts of money that he had been used to when Zeppelin were the biggest band in the world. His marriage crumbled, and he decided to go for a simpler existence by moving to a flat in Eastbourne. Peter eventually managed to get back into relatively good health, shedding a lot of weight, and becoming quite a respected figure in Eastbourne. He was even approached to become a Magistrate, but he declined. He managed to attend Page and Plant's 1995 show in London, but by all accounts, he wasn't impressed with the concept.

What a character. They certainly don't make them like that anymore.