OATLANDS

'Oatlands' is a district near Weybridge in Surrey and a former Tudor and Stuart royal palace in the same location.

Contents

History

References

History

'Oatlands' is a district near Weybridge in Surrey and a former Tudor and Stuart royal palace in the same location.
Henry VIII acquired the house in 1538, and rebuilt it for Anne of Cleves. It subsequently became the residence, at various times, of Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. Charles used it for his queen's residence, employed John Tradescant the elder for its gardens, and was later imprisoned here by the army in 1647. After the King's execution the palace was sold and demolished, leaving a single house. This was later occupied and extended by Sir Edward Herbert, the Lord Chief Justice, but was forfeited to the Crown when he followed James II into exile. It was then awarded to Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, who was the Admiral in command of the English and Dutch Fleets at the Battle of Beachy Head.
The house was again enlarged by the Duke of Newcastle , Henry Clinton who laid out formal gardens.
In 1790 Oatlands was leased from the Crown by the Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany the second son of George III, and the subject of the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York. ^[1] In 1794 the mansion was burnt down and the was rebuilt in the Gothic style of the period. After the death of the Duchess of York in 1820, the whole property was sold.
It was bought by the wealthy Mr. Edward Hughes Ball Hughes and again remodelled until in 1856 the estate was broken up and the house became a hotel known as the South Western (later Oatlands Park) Hotel .
From 1916, during World War I (otherwise known as The Great War), the hotel was used to house injured ANZAC troops. Subsequently one of the main streets in Walton-on-Thames was renamed to New Zealand Avenue in honour of these men.
The Oatlands Park Hotel now occupies the site where the royal palace once stood. The hotel is rated 4 stars by the AA and 4 diamonds by the RAC.
For a short period of time the area to the south of Oatlands was known as 'America' as it was over-run with Rhododendron bushes and was likened to the wilderness of the American frontier.

The Parish of Oatlands is served by the Anglican church St Mary Oatlands. Originally a chapel built in 1863 the Parish church was ordained in 1867 when the Parish of St Mary Walton in Walton-on-Thames was divided to reflect the increase in population owing to local industrialisation. The previous Vicar, Malcolm Anker, retired in May 2005 and a new Vicar has been appointed after a period of interregnum.
The district of Oatlands contains an Iron Age burial ground, believed to be in the vicinity of St Mary Oatlands church.

References

1. Surrey in 1815. A picture of Surrey life in 1815, , A.H., Lock, Osprey Publishing, 1974,


★ Oatlands Park Hotel - History