Cherkley Court & Gardens

Cherkley Court reverted to the ownership of the Beaverbrook Foundation in 1994. In 1998 the Foundation reunited the house with the estate which was held by an absentee owner.

Following the grant of planning permission and listed building consents in 2003, the specialist interior designer David Mlinaric and architect Christopher Smallwood worked for over 5 years to bring the house back to life, restoring in a sensitive way with a focus on the historical interest connected to the house. Simon Johnson rescued the gardens and estate and work has continued to develop different areas of the garden. The house and estate featured in 'Country Life' magazine in April 2007, showing the exemplary quality of the restoration.

The Trustees of the Beaverbrook Foundation are pleased that over the last three years many people have been able to enjoy Cherkley and after such an extensive renovation programme is proud to display the results of its hard work.

Following two consecutive wet summers and general recessionary pressures the Beaverbrook Foundation reluctantly decided that the gardens at Cherkley Court would not be open to the public in 2010, and events and functions would no longer be held at the property. The Beaverbrook Foundation, a registered charity, has supported Cherkley Court with the view that the business would become self-supporting, this has not been possible.

An application has been made to Mole Valley District Council requesting permission to revert the property to use as a single dwelling, returning it to the use for which it was built.

The Foundation has to consider the overall view of its role as a charity and, therefore, is carefully considering the future of Cherkley. No final decision has yet been made.

The application made to Mole Valley District Council requesting permission to revert the property to use as a single dwelling, returning it to the use for which it was built; has been granted at the Council meeting held on Wednesday 2 June 2010.

The Trustees continue to review the options available to them regarding the future of Cherkley Court.