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Lavant House (or West Lavant House) is a country house and estate in the parish of
Lavant, West Sussex Lavant is a civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, north of Chichester. It includes three villages: Mid Lavant and East Lavant, which are separate Anglican parishes, and the much smaller West Lavant. It takes its name f ...
, England. It was used as an
independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
for girls until 2016.


History

The earliest certain documentary reference to Lavant House dates from 1762–3. Architectural analysis of the building, its photographic depictions and an eighteenth-century
watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
suggest that it was built between 1707 and 1725. Richard Budgen's map of Sussex (1723–24) shows two houses considered worthy of note in the manor of West Lavant, of which one is undoubtedly West Lavant Farm (built 1711), while the other is believed to be Lavant House.


Sir John Miller

Its first definite owner was Sir John Miller, 4th baronet, whose family had been prominent in
Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
first as
justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
and mayors then becoming
members of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
from the later 17th century. Sir John had enclosed the park at West Lavant by 1740, after which he may have lived in the first incarnation of Lavant House (the central section of the present building). The
Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...
's brother, Henry Pelham, wrote to the Duke saying, "you know my thoughts on Sir John, he is as friendly and honest as the day is long". This has to be balanced with the fact that the 2nd Duke of Richmond could relate to the Duke of Newcastle that Sir John had stated that he did not care a fart for his father-in-law, Dr. Combs. Sir John is believed to be depicted as a lesser figure in a 1759 painting by George Stubbs showing the 3rd Duke of Richmond out hunting (this hangs in the front hall at
Goodwood House Goodwood House is a country house and estate covering in Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex, England and is the seat of the Duke of Richmond. The house was built in about 1600 and is a Grade I listed building. Description The house and its ...
). He died in 1772 and his relict Dame Susanna remained at Lavant House until her death in 1788 when the house was put on the market by her eldest son, Sir Thomas Miller, who had by then moved to live in Hampshire.


Third Duke of Richmond

In 1791 the house was bought by the 3rd Duke of Richmond, who let it to Lord Bathurst. In 1798 the Duke started work on the house. Apparently this was when the house was reoriented to face north (maps show the drive originally approaching from the south). He appears to have died (in 1806) while the project was underway. The next inhabitant was Henriette Ann Le Clerc, thought to have been the Duke’s illegitimate daughter. It was in Henriette's bedroom in Richmond House in London where in 1791 the fire started which destroyed that building. Henriette was brought from France by his sister,
Lady Louisa Conolly Lady Louisa Conolly (5 December 1743 – August 1821) was an English-born Irish noblewoman. She was the third of the famous Lennox Sisters, and was notable among them for leading a wholly uncontroversial life filled with good works. Biograph ...
, in 1778 at age 5 to live at her Goodwood estate. His will named her the first beneficiary, receiving life tenure of West Lavant House and Park and other lands and farms. She married Colonel (later General) John Dorrien on 28 March 1808. John and Henriette’s only child, Charles (the traditional Lennox family name), was born in Lavant in January 1809. Following John’s death in 1825, Henriette ran her estate, which she mentions in a series of letters to the 5th Duke.Goodwood archive at the
West Sussex Record Office The West Sussex Record Office at Orchard Street, Chichester, is the county record office for the county of West Sussex. It is run by West Sussex County Council. Notable holdings The record office holds a number of unique collections connected t ...
.
She remained much of the time at Lavant. Forty years after she had moved into Lavant House, the ''Agricultural Gazette'' announced her death on 6 January 1846. The house then returned to the Goodwood Estate and was rented to a series of tenants.


Twentieth century

In 1907 the house was sold to Mr Morrison and family. He was probably responsible for the dining room decoration. The house was then sold to Major Henry Frederic Low and family. In 1921 his widow sold it to Major Julian Day and Isabella. She then sold the building to the independent Lavant House School, a member of the
Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council. History The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...
. Founder & Headmistress Dora Green. http://www.zen100808.zen.co.uk/dev-lavanthouseschool/ And a look back at the start of Lavant House School from the founder's daughter Marilyn Sadler: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/retro/down-memory-lane-celebrating-60-years-at-lavant-house-school-895524 A crowdfunding attempt in May 2016 to save the school did not succeed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-36284269 and the school closed in the summer of 2016. The building is now on the cusp of a new life, keeping the historic assets of both the building and the educational ethos of the school, due to the Launchpad Charitable Trust https://www.launchpad.org/ https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/refurbishment-of-lavant-house-approved-3626152


References


External links

* {{authority control Country houses in West Sussex Boarding schools in West Sussex Girls' schools in West Sussex Defunct schools in West Sussex Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Architecture in England