Forest Ridge

About Forest Ridge

Forest Ridge is a delightful Victorian garden on a ridge at the edge of the Paddockhurst Estate with far-reaching views across rolling countryside towards Balcombe and Handcross. The current house was rebuilt by the current owners between 2002-4 but there has been a house on the site since the early 1700’s. The original house, Scanlans, was owned by the Balcombe family who later emigrated to the United States and the village was named after them. The subsequent house, then named Forest Farm, was substantially enlarged in the 1930s by Lord Cowdray to provide local employment after the war. Sadly, the splendid manor house, complete with clocktower, was burned down over Christmas 1939 and was left a ruin until 1953 when the site was sold off. The couple who bought the site had been keen gardeners and set about restoring what was previously a splendid Victorian garden and built a small house on the site of the ruin. The current owners, only the third since 1953, have substantially enlarged the house, designed to maximise the wonderful views of the gardens and surrounding countyside. The garden is interspersed with paths, many of which formed the original drive around the former manor house. The centrepiece of it all is a magnificent Atlantic Cedar, said to be the oldest in Sussex with its records at Wakehurst Place across the valley. This forms the backdrop to an impressive croquet lawn with a long border along the east side leading to an old folly which survived the great fire in 1939 and which has recently been restored by the owners. Over the last 19 years, the Wiltshire family have strived to regenerate and reinvent some parts of the garden as well as creating new areas of interest. In front of the old folly is a recently completed landscaped area featuring a long fishpond and rill which links the building to the owners’ home by an impressive avenue of full standard Viburnum tinus lucidum with lavender borders. This new landscaping was only completed in the summer of 2019 but is already making its mark as a highlight of the garden. The more formal area of lawns and wide borders leads to a more informal array of smaller paths surrounded by many different azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons and ends in a charming woodland dell, mini arboretum and ponds. The garden is owner-maintained, there is still much work to do and the owners are striving to do justice to what is such a loved and special garden.