We woke up to a cloudless sky and the sun was hot even at 8am. However it started to cloud over and a breeze
got up – thank goodness.
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| Our view this morning |
Up through Triggs Lock where the lock bridge fits the lock gates – I’ve
never seen that before.
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| Triggs Lock |
It was then Bowers and Stoke Locks – really pretty locks but I forgot
to take any photos. Just before Dapdune
Wharf there is an interesting part of the tow path called Woodbridge Meadows.
As part of a project to restore the meadow many of the trees were felled and
their stumps or fallen logs were used for wood carvings.
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| Woodbridge Meadow |
We stopped at Dapdune Wharf to use the services and sort out our
licence and then moved on into Guildford, through Millmead Lock passed
Guildford Rowing Club to a lovely mooring on the edge of a meadow. I will write more about Guildford tomorrow as
we are here for two nights now.
Yesterday I mentioned Sutton Place and, as is my wont, I did some
research on it.
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| The gates to Sutton Place (photo "borrowed" from Google) |
In the early 1520s the manor of Sutton was granted by Henry VIII to
courtier and statesman Sir Richard Weston, who had been knighted in 1514. In
the late 1520s Sir Richard began building a new house enclosing a courtyard on a
new site some distance away from the old house which stood in Manor Field. Sir
Richard entertained Henry VIII at Sutton Place in 1533. Following Sir Richard's
death the estate remained in the ownership of the family, and Queen Elizabeth
visited in 1560 during her first Royal Progress. During the mid-17th century
Richard Weston III, who was a noted agriculturist, altered the River Wey which
ran through the estate, to make it navigable.
Sutton Place remained in the Weston family and families related to it by
marriage until 1919. Philip Witham (a
Weston descendant) inherited the house in 1904 though he never held vacant
possession of Sutton Place and sold it in 1918.
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| Sutton Place (photo "borrowed" from Google) |
George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland bought Sutton
Place in 1918 selling it on 1959 to J. Paul Getty.
Sutton Place was sold in 1980, after Getty's death in 1976 for £8
million, to a company owned by Stanley J. Seeger. Although Mr Seeger stated he
spent almost £1m a year on maintaining the house he rarely lived there. After 10 years Seeger sold it to another
American, Frederick R. Koch and he used it to display his own art collection to
the public. According to the Guardian newspaper he is said never to have spent
a night under its roof.
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| Sutton Place (photo "borrowed" from Google) |
An abortive attempt to sell the estate in one piece for £32 million in
1999 ended in ignominy as it failed to find a buyer, so it was split into
four. The house changed hands in 2003
for £25 million, with Mr Usmanov getting his hands on the keys though quite how
is debatable! Usmanov has hardly
visited Sutton Place, in the last few years, preferring the other house he owns
in Hampstead, Beechwood, a Grade II listed mansion for which he paid £50
million in 2008.
You may have found the above boring but I really enjoyed researching
this little bit of the history.
6.17 miles
4 locks
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