Fine Tunbridge Ware Writing Box / Lap Desk, Eridge Castle, circa 1870

The central section featuring Eridge Castle, East Sussex. The box comes complete with a working tasseled key, the lock in working order.

The top portion lifts to reveal the fitted interior incorporating a pair of brass topped inkwells. The lower portion opens to reveal the writing slope in red leather, professionally replaced creating a writing surface for many years to come. The top portion opens to reveal storage for stationery etc. below.

Excellent condition measuring 12 7/8″ x 10 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ tall at rear.

Eridge Park is the family home of the Marquess of Abergavenny. The Estate is steeped in history, being reputedly the oldest enclosed Deer Park in England. It is listed in the Domesday Book under the name of Reredfelle and the ownership of Odo, the brother of William the Conqueror.

The Nevill family inherited the Estate in the heart of the High Weald in 1448 and have been here ever since. Henry VIII often hunted at Eridge Park and Queen Elizabeth I spent six days here in 1573. At that time there was a flourishing iron foundry on the Estate, with a series of mill ponds being created to provide a good supply of water to power the forge.

In 1787 Henry Nevill, the 2nd Earl of Abergavenny began building Eridge Castle in exuberant Gothic, a style made fashionable at the time by the author Horace Walpole with the redevelopment of his London home, Strawberry Hill House. In the following years the landscape was enhanced by opening up vistas, walks and carriage drives, the construction of follies (most notable Saxonbury Tower and the castellated wall at Sham Farm) and the rebuilding of old workers’ cottages in ornate Estate style.

In the late 1800s, the Prince of Wales was a frequent visitor at Eridge shooting parties, as was the Conservative party leader and Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli who, it is said, came here for the venison and strawberries.

In the late 1930s, the Castle was demolished, and the current Georgian-style mansion house was built, which is now the home of the 6th Marquess of Abergavenny and his family. The house and formal gardens still enjoy stunning and peaceful views over the breath-taking Park

Item: 50000
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