Steep Park House (Potters Manor) Final Goodbye 2013, Crowborough

[mockingbird]

This was not my first time here, but it will now be my last.
Work has begun on tearing down the infamous "potters manor" where many lost the "urbex" virginity too.
From what was filled with life long possessions, has been stripped and stripped again, an for those who visited this place many years ago you was lucky.

This place always hits close to home, im very unsure why? but its one which I fondly remember, an of course I remember how beautiful the place once looked.
After years of abuse, vandalism and theft the shell did remain but respect was lost and the house suffered.

I think I have been the last to visit this place...
As of now steep park house is being torn down.


History

The manor of Steep, anciently called Parstepe, was first mentioned in 1327 but the present rambling late-Victorian mansion, originally named Higher Steep, was built in 1890 for Robert H. Halford, a London jeweller and silversmith who lived there with his large extended family and staff including a cook and gardener.
The next owner was a Mr. Coomber, who later sold it to a Mr. Kerlew and he to a Mr. Jackson.
By 1928 the estate was owned by W.B. Woodrow, who added landscaped grounds, glasshouses and a winter garden and renamed it Steep Park.
From then on there is a thirty year gap in the available records and I could find nothing of the estate's occupants.

The history of the mansion's last owners, by contrast, is well documented:
James Francis W. was born in 1913 to Leopold W., a London shipping magnate and an Andalusian Duchess.
Having enjoyed a successful career in The City, Mr W. turned his hand to pottery and ceramics, becoming a founding member of the Craft Potters'
Association of Great Britain. In 1957 he married a Ms. Muriel W. and they moved to a large villa in South Nutfield, Surrey.
The couple married late in life (James was 44 and Muriel 51) so had no children.

Mr W. had two great passions in life: art and rare orchids. In c. 1959, possibly aided by a bequest from his late father, he bought Steep Park, which allowed ample room for both passions.
Mr W. wasted little time in setting up a plant nursery, studio and craft pottery there and soon established himself as a major authority on orchids and a successful potter.
He also painted extensively, being best known, unsurprisingly, for his painstaking illustrations of orchids, although he also produced abstract works in great number.
Shortly after Mr W's death, aged 88, his wife, alone except for the servants and her visitors, left the now crumbling house for a care home.
With no direct heirs to look after the estate, it fell into ruin and was put on the market.


Planning permission was granted in march 2008, the site is due to be demolished and replaced, hallways are expected, along with
a living-room, kitchen, family breakfast room, library/billiards room, home cinema, housekeeping suite, 6 bedrooms, office, children s playroom,
a study, swimming pool complex and garaging.

On with the photos:




534104_10151421575808425_530437812_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


734359_10151421585623425_975904554_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


5592_10151421623578425_2040575640_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


168554_10151421591008425_1085912815_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


526879_10151421582953425_1798374978_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


562661_10151421599853425_1681910542_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


538698_10151421595663425_1762594127_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


538844_10151421592288425_517490772_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


488283_10151421593573425_62393566_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


488278_10151421625488425_1162511501_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


483572_10151421586053425_178979761_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


303374_10151421606423425_1785303959_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


299204_10151421619688425_1900809890_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


181015_10151421617818425_729078120_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


562333_10151421587988425_1709114193_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


63518_10151421602243425_261975597_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


734504_10151421584668425_910027668_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


525324_10151421609833425_1901733108_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


484119_10151421588943425_69712482_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


63417_10151421579228425_373038212_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr


8163_10151421575083425_909206619_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr

FAREWELL STEEP PARK

392766_10151421641403425_1810448137_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr

SECURITY NOT ON THE BALL

392838_10151421642303425_838555716_n by urbexmockingbird, on Flickr

Hope you enjoyed this, even though for some its a sad demise.

 

[King Al]

Great pics and write-up mockingbird, that old place is looking very sad now...

 

[UrbanX]

Nice one, shame to see it in such a state, but you've documented it perfectly.

 

[antonymes]

Incredibly sad. Nice report.

 

[flyboys90]

Great report & pics,the end of an era thanks for sharing.

 

[mookster]

A real shame, this place was a lesson to us all in the damage that can be done to places once they 'get out'.

Nice pics, and it's about time the old girl was put out of her misery.

 

[mockingbird]

Thanks everyone
Yep it is certainly an end of an era for her, she lasted well considering years of vandalism an so on.

Mookster - a lesson learned indeed, but I think gradually every place ends up rubble cant deny it and can never prevent it, unless its saved/brought then restored of course, but for places like this its bound to happen.
A real shame as I stated im fond of this place an always have been, but at least its all going to be over with, an the people who explored it first can look back at how beautiful the place once was, before it all went downhill.

 

[mookster]

Yep, at the end of the day eventually all we'll have is photos of places like these once they are long gone and replaced with faceless, soulless modern boxes, and for that we should be thankful that at least something survives!

 

[mockingbird]

A personal explore is every explore really, because you capture what you see and how you want to see it, its all we have and in many years time the new home of steep park will be abandoned or dissused and here we have another replacement

 

[Quattre]

The fourth picture starting from the end is really amazing!

 

[Mars Lander]

What a shame to see it go. we visited a couple of summers ago and enjoyed this place and camped on the lawn was a fab time, thanks for sharing your wonderful shots of it

 

[mockingbird]

Thanks everyone, I have been here lots of times, an each time I went it had got worse, but I enjoyed every moment I was here, I felt very at home

 

[wittykitty]

What an absolute tragedy this house is being lost, it is beautiful. Makes me very sad to know it will be torn down :-(

 

[Mardy Bum]

So gutted she's gone, was planning a trip out there until I heard the news. Always amazed it stayed in a reasonable state for so long, spoke to someone who grew up in the area and according to him it was known about by local teens..etc can only assume it being in the arse end of nowhere saved it from being completely torn apart sooner. It doesn't appear to have changed much since I went in June/July, nice to see the lone canvas is still by the main stairs, was genuinely expecting to find tons of artwork left when we visited but that smashed up canvas and a broken bit of painted furniture were the only bits we saw. Maybe someone took it upon themselves to 'rehome' it, the place was pretty bare when it came to personal items compared to other peoples previous reports.
Fantastic report, thanks for sharing!

 

[mockingbird]

My first time viewing this place, it had paintings and other items of clothing, aswel as a saw and an old gas pump round the back.
Surprised it lasted myself, but eventually all good places go.

Thanks for the comment and taking the time to view my post, much appreciated.

 

[hogynmon]

Enjoyed your report very much, brilliant photographs, and an excellent history.