Luxford House

Luxford House is a 16th-century Grade II listed building near Crowborough, East Sussex.[1] It is near the 11.5-acre (4.7 ha) Luxford Farm.[2] It was used by several rock musicians in the 1970s under the guidance of Tony Stratton Smith.

Luxford House
South elevation
LocationCrowborough
Coordinates51°02′39″N 0°10′23″E
OS grid referenceTQ 52433 29432
AreaEast Sussex
Built16th century
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameLuxford House
Designated26 November 1953
Reference no.1028448
Location of Luxford House in East Sussex

History

Luxford house was constructed in the early 16th century as a smoke bay house.[3] During the 1930s it was bought by Sir Hugh Beaver, former Ministry of Works director general and founder of the Guinness Book of Records, who renovated and extended it.[4][5] It was Grade II listed on 26 November 1953.[1]

Following Beaver's death in 1967, ownership of the house passed to his daughter Cerise and son-in-law, Rev Christopher Lawson-Tancred.[6] It was let to rock music manager Tony Stratton Smith who lived there through the early 1970s.[4] He encouraged groups signed to his label, Charisma Records, including Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator, to rehearse there.[4]

Genesis wrote their 1971 album Nursery Cryme at Luxford House that summer.[4] A picture of Van der Graaf Generator taken at the house appeared on the inner gatefold sleeve of their 1971 album Pawn Hearts,[7][8][9] and the cover of Neil Diamond's album Stones also uses a picture taken on the property—of a stone wall—as its cover.[4] Bert Jansch recorded his 1974 album L.A. Turnaround at Luxford House, using the library as the live room, and made a promotional video featuring the premises.[6]

In December 2017, the property and estate was put on the market.[6]

Architecture

Luxford house is set in a 4,500 square feet (420 m2) estate with several lawns and gardens. The house features six bedrooms and a gym/studio constructed of Wealden stone.[6]

The exterior is timber-framed with plaster infilling, supported by a set of diagonal braces on the first floor and covered with a tile roof.[1]

References
  1. Historic England. "Luxford House (1028448)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. "Description of 11 luxury homes in West Kent and East Sussex". Kent and East Sussex Courier. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  3. Martin, D. (2005). "Institute of Archaeology, Project Ref 2060, Report Number 1561". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Lucking, Liz (24 November 2017). "English Country House With Musical Connections Heads to Auction". Mansion Global. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  5. "A Tutor house of rock and pop". The Times. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. "Bid for a slice of music history at auction this December". Austin Gray. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. Easlea, Daryl (2013). Without Frontiers: The Life & Music of Peter Gabriel. Music Sales Limited. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-857-12860-7.
  8. Christopulos, Jim; Smart, Phil (2005). Van der Graaf Generator – The Book. Phil and Jim Publishers. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-955-13370-1.
  9. Pawn Hearts (Media notes). Charisma Records. 1971. CAS 1051.
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