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Peter Grant's Horselunges Manor (Set of Vintage Milton Postcards)


SteveAJones

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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.

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  • 3 years later...

^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
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^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
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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?

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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
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  • 1 month later...

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
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  • 10 months later...

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!

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  • 2 weeks later...

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.

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  • 2 months later...

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.

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  • 3 years later...

I am almost certain that Peter Grant's fantasy sequence in the "Song Remains the Same" was not filmed at Horselunges Manor at all. In the early 70's the band purchased Hammerwood House in East Grinstead in Sussex (I live nearby). Grant's idea was to transform it into a studio similar to Headley Grange, frequently used by the band. They soon discovered that the house was so full of dry rot that it pretty much stood around and did nothing and band allegedly forgot that they owned it! I think it was sold in 1982.

show's a bit of information about the property. This is an exert from Wikipedia in relation to the movie.

Grant and Cole were filmed as hitmen driving towards Hammerwood Park estate in Sussex in a 1928 Pierce-Arrow car. Roy Harper also makes an uncredited guest appearance as one of the 'greedy millionaires' portrayed at a business meeting of multi-national corporations. Massot envisioned Grant and Cole in the hitman roles, as it symbolised the tough business decisions they made on behalf of the band. The female passenger wearing a scarf with Peter Grant driving on a country road is his wife, Gloria. Massot had originally shot Grant walking a cameraman around a collection of antique cars, but this footage was quickly abandoned....

Despite me saying all this, I will admit that the house in the movie does indeed look more like Horselunges!

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I am almost certain that Peter Grant's fantasy sequence in the "Song Remains the Same" was not filmed at Horselunges Manor at all.

Despite me saying all this, I will admit that the house in the movie does indeed look more like Horselunges!

Welcome to the forum, astroghost. Peter's fantasy sequence was filmed at Horselunges Manor, Hammerwood and Tower House.

The Horselunges Manor scenes include the knock on the door, Peter and Richard walking across the moat and Peter answering the telephone.

The Hammerwood scenes include the outdoor shoot out segment and Peter standing in the interior doorway after the carnage is carried out.

The Tower House was used for the interior shoot out scenes at the table.

I took a private tour of Hammerwood House with the current owner, David Pinnegar, on July 26, 1998. He showed me the entire estate, including what he believed to be the doorways used in the film. Afterward, he sent me digital copies of the legal documentation reflecting the purchase of the estate by Jimmy Page and Peter Grant. They had both signed it, and as I recall it was dated 1973. I am sorry to say I've long since misplaced or lost those files, but I've been meaning to ask David if he could kindly send them to me again.

Using the search function on "Horselunges", "Hammerwood" or "Tower House" will reveal many posts I have made here on this topic, to include several photographs.

Edited by SteveAJones
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  • 1 month later...
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  • 2 years later...

I actually knocked on his door after John Bonham died to offer my condolences. Horse Lunges Manor is local to me. I don't really know what made me do it other than everyone at school was into Zeppelin and it seemed like the right thing to do. He answered himself wearing a really intricately embroidered Swan Song tracksuit top. He was really touched and asked me to wait as he had something he wanted to give me. He returned with the promotional poster for The Tour Over Europe 1980 and told me only 6 had been made. It was mounted on someting like MDF. He signed it for me with a message. I "lost" it in 1989, I had a breakdown and was admiited to hospital. It was in my flat when I was admitted and when I was discharged I went back to my parents. The poster had disappeared in the process, I have my ideas what happened but I will never be able to prove it. 

I had no idea of his repuation back then, I definitely wouldn't have done it if I did. All I can say is that my experience is that he was a gentle and lovely giant.

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2 hours ago, andy5405 said:

I actually knocked on his door after John Bonham died to offer my condolences. Horse Lunges Manor is local to me. I don't really know what made me do it other than everyone at school was into Zeppelin and it seemed like the right thing to do. He answered himself wearing a really intricately embroidered Swan Song tracksuit top. He was really touched and asked me to wait as he had something he wanted to give me. He returned with the promotional poster for The Tour Over Europe 1980 and told me only 6 had been made. It was mounted on someting like MDF. He signed it for me with a message. I "lost" it in 1989, I had a breakdown and was admiited to hospital. It was in my flat when I was admitted and when I was discharged I went back to my parents. The poster had disappeared in the process, I have my ideas what happened but I will never be able to prove it. 

I had no idea of his repuation back then, I definitely wouldn't have done it if I did. All I can say is that my experience is that he was a gentle and lovely giant.

Andy, thanks for sharing. I can't speak for you but for me the memory of having been so warmly received at his home would be worth far more than any poster. After Peter passed away, a number of his personal possessions was offered at auction. Some 1980 Over Europe posters were among them, having been found in an old storage trunk.

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