Brantridge Park

Brantridge Park stands in Balcombe, West Sussex, on the edge of Brantridge Forest. The 19th-century country house replaced an earlier farmhouse and farm, built for Sir Robert Loder after he acquired the estate in 1849. By 1874 the mansion was complete, set within wooded grounds. It became the home of Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, and his wife Princess Alice of Albany. Princess Alice was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria. The house has strong royal connections. Princess Alice’s aunt, Princess Beatrice, lived there until her death in 1944. After the Athlones, Sir Denys Lowson, a former Lord Mayor of London, made it his residence. Later it served as a home for disabled children. In the 21st century it was turned into apartments and used as a time-share resort. Today the building is divided into private apartments. The surrounding forest offers quiet walks among tall trees. Views from the windows look out over the parkland and distant countryside. The house remains a private residence, its grand rooms now lived in rather than open to the public.