Sanderstead Court

Sanderstead Court is a country house in Surrey, England.

The building is located next to the All Saints' Parish Church (c. 1230) in Sanderstead.

The building did not appear on the Tithe map of 1844.

In 1675, the house was a three story, red brick mansion comprising a central core with two large wings at either end which were adorned with decorated chimneys. The central portion of the house had a great room, two stories in height, supported by fluted columns with Corinthian capitals; this great room was probably originally constructed by an earlier Atwood in the 16th century. Many of the rooms in Sanderstead Court were panelled with wood. The Atwood shield with a lion rampant between three acorns, the initials “H.A.” (Harman Atwood) and the date “1675” were once were carved in stone over the main entry to Sanderstead Court.

John Preston Neale described the Sanderstead Court's grounds in 1818 by saying, "The site of the Court House is on an eminence, having in front a spacious lawn, skirted by a shrubbery of rich and varied foliage, separated from the adjoining pleasure grounds by a light range of iron palisades. The Park was enlarged by the addition of an Estate, called Place House; and the whole now forms quite a sequestered residence; the grounds, which are extensive, admit the most beautiful prospects: on one side are seen the counties of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire; and on the other, a fine open country for many miles, over all Bansted Downs" (Neale 1818).

In the early 20th century, Sanderstead Court was converted to a hotel and renamed “Selsdon Court.” During World War II, it was used by the Royal Air Force. Sanderstead Court burned, leaving only the outside walls in 1944. As of 1947, the mansion was still standing but reduced to ruins, on the edge of a little village in what is now the outskirts of London. Part of it still remains as a Grade II listed building. The grounds around the house have now been built on. These include Cedar Court (three blocks of apartments) and a new Sanderstead Court (also three blocks of apartments).

Behind the house, was a stable building, this was used by Selsdon Park Golf Club as a clubhouse. But the club later moved to Selsdon Park Hotel. The stables then formed part of the New Sanderstead Court apartments.

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