Gatton Hall
| Location | Reigate |  Gallery |
||
| County | Surrey | |||
| Year demolished | 1934 | |||
| Reason | Fire | |||
Though there is a newer Gatton Hall (now a school) only the portico survived the fire in 1934 which destroyed the rest of the house, the beautiful Marble Hall and much of the famous collection of works of art.
The house was originally built on the site of an older manor house for the fifth Baron Monson between 1830 and 1841 by the architect Sextus Dyball. Capability Brown had previously landscaped the grounds and created the lake between 1761 and 1774. The portico was added to the north side of the house in 1891 by the then owner, Sir Jeremiah Colman (of mustard fame), as part of a vast extension which Pevsner described as "sensitive 19c handling of strictly classical forms". The portico was large, with a dentilled pediment and six Corinthian columns which embraced the projecting centre bay of the house with two further columns on each side linking back to the adjoining wings.
The house was famous for the magnificent Marble Hall which had been originally designed for Charles IV of Spain which had been purchased by the fifth Baron on a trip to Rome in 1830 for the huge sum of £10,000 (approx. £620,000). The Marble Hall was a near replica of the Corsini Chapel in Leterano at Rome and built using the finest Italian marble and was renowned for its beauty.
On 5 February 1934 Sir Jeremiah's secretary awoke at about 5am to discover her room filled with smoke. She ran to the village to get help but a lack of available water frustrated attempts to fight the fire. The villagers tried to save as much of the collection as they could but were only partially successful and many precious works of art including paintings, books, gold and silver and furniture were lost. Sir Jeremiah was out of the country at the time and was told of the devastation via a letter as it was feared that hearing the news over the phone may adversely affect his health.
The Hall was re-built in a neo-Georgian style by Sir Edwin Cooper in 1936 and incorporated the superb portico - the only original part to remain.
Further information: 'When Gattons Treasures Were Lost to Fire' - Redhill and Reigate Life