Sale particulars of Oldlands Hall, Maresfield (formerly Buxted)

<span class="wrapper"><p>For further information concerning the history of the estate, and Sir Alexander Nesbitt, see Sussex Archaeological Collections 137 (1999): Alexander Nesbitt, a Sussex antiquary, and the Oldlands estate, by Janet H Stevenson</p> <p>For papers of Edward Gorringe (1883-1945) and Charles Edward Gorringe (1909-1994), of Fairwarp, both of whom worked on the Oldlands estate, and of the Fairwarp Band which was supported by Ventura P Misa and Sir Bernard Eckstein, see AMS6449</p></span>

Donated 23 Mar 2000 (ACC 8099)

Introduction

Oldlands Hall was built from 1869 by the antiquary Alexander Nesbitt, and was designed by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt. The estate had recently been purchased from Coventry Patmore, the poet, who built Heron's Ghyll nearby. The Oldlands estate passed to Nesbitt's godson Reginald Nesbitt Wingfield Larking in 1900. After being leased to Sir James Pender, the house contents were auctioned, and the house and estate were sold to Ventura Paul Misa, a partner in a firm of sherry shippers, in 1905

In 1920 Oldlands was sold to Frederick Eckstein, a partner in the firm of Wernher, Beit & Co, and chairman of the Sudan Plantations Syndicate. After his death, the estate passed to his son Sir Bernard, who also had business interests in the Sudan. He lived at Oldlands Hall with his unmarried sister Herminie Beatrice. Sir Bernard increased the size of the estate from around 289 acres to 379 acres by purchasing Furnace Wood, Buxted, to the south of the property, and carried out many alterations to the house interior and gardens

The particulars described below were produced when the estate was broken up and sold after Sir Bernard's death in 1948. This copy was probably sent to Roy L Ridley, Buena Vista Farm, by N S Muir, secretary of the Oldlands Estate Company, during the 1967 dispute mentioned in AMS6553/2. The house and stables now (June 2000) remain as freehold apartments