Foxwarren Park
| Foxwarren Park | |
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The newly-constructed house was pictured in the Illustrated London News in 1860
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| Type | House |
| Location | Wisley, Surrey |
| Coordinates | 51°19′43″N 0°27′08″W / 51.3286°N 0.4521°WCoordinates: 51°19′43″N 0°27′08″W / 51.3286°N 0.4521°W |
| Built | 1860 |
| Architect | Frederick Barnes |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
| Governing body | Privately owned |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Foxwarren Park | |
| Designated | 22 September 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1189110 |
 Location of Foxwarren Park in Surrey
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Foxwarren Park, at Wisley in Surrey, is a Victorian country house. It was designed in 1860 by the railway architect Frederick Barnes, in conjunction with his client, the brewer and member of Parliament, Charles Buxton. It is a Grade II* listed building.
From 1919 to 1955, it was owned by Alfred Ezra who was President of the Avicultural Society and assembled an outstanding collection of rare birds and animals on the estate. It was then acquired by Hannah Weinstein who used it as the location for films and TV series including The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Charles Buxton, brewer, philanthropist and politician, was also an amateur architect. Having rented a range of properties around Weybridge in the 1850s, he purchased the site for Foxwarren Park in 1855. He was heavily involved in the design of the new house, working with Frederick Barnes, known more for his designs for railway stations, particularly in Norfolk. The style is described as "harsh Victorian Gothic". The house was the inspiration for E. H. Shepard's illustrations of Toad Hall in Kenneth Grahame's book, The Wind in the Willows.
The house was acquired by Alfred Ezra in 1919, who owned it until his death in 1955. He was an enthusiastic breeder of birds and created a large private collection of rare birds and animals on the estate. From 1920 to 1940, this was probably the finest private zoo in the world. For example, it contained a pair of pink-headed ducks which were the last of their kind.
During World War II, the Foxwarren estate was the site of research facilities run by the engineering firm Vickers and saw work on the development of Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb.
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