Uppark - 17th-century country house South Downs, West Sussex

The house was built for Ford Grey, first Earl of Tankerville between 1655 and 1701.    The architect is speculated to have been William Talman. The estate was sold in 1747 to Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh and he and his wife Sarah, furnished the house with items collected on their Grand Tour during 1749 to 1751. They has one son, Harry Fetherstonehaugh who inherited the country house.

Sir Harry commissioned Humphry Repton to add a new pillared portico made from Portland stone that cannot be cleaned today as there is a collection of rare lichens on the columns. He built a dairy and  added a landscaped garden. Later stables and kitchens were added  as a separate building that was  connected to the house by tunnels. This meant no cooking smells were ever part of the main house.

Sir Harry married the estate's 21 year old dairymaid Ann Bullock when he was  71 years old. He bequeathed the property to her 1846.  In his youth he had been a socialite and spent a great deal of time with George IV, Prince Regent who had many mistresses.  His parties were legendary and among the guests early in the 19th century were Nelson and the Duke of Wellington.  He spend a lot of money to uphold a lavish lifestyle and consequently he had to sell the house in London and the family castle. The second half of his life he had to restrain from his extravagant life-style. He had spend approximately80 billion pound in today's money.

The house was taken over by National Trust 1954 and in 1989 there was a fire started by a blow torch that was bing used to repair the roof.  Much has been restored but a lot of items were saved.

The Solent can be seen on a clear day from the house. It was misty for our visit but soon warmed up for us to observe many insects. 

Harting Down South Downs Way was an area where there were many Burnet Moths and Orchids. It was a popular place for walkers and Cyclists.  There was an abundance of Skylarks.