The history of Gatewick House

Continuing our history series in which we focus on commissions to restore and extend historic buildings, we turn our attention to Gatewick House, in Sussex. ADAM Partner Darren Price has secured planning consent to reconfigure and extend the house which is a blend of diverse architectural styles and periods.

The property has witnessed centuries of architectural evolution, shaped by the tastes and styles of its former owners. Historical records first mention Gatewick Mill under the de Gatewyck family in the 12th century, marking the estate’s early importance in the local economy and community.

Gatewick House sits in a historically rich estate within the village of Steyning, opposite the Church of St Andrew and St Cuthman. The house was first recorded on a map of Steyning, opposite the Church of St Andrew and St Cuthman, with a general view of the properties along the High Street. The land was shown belonging to Sir Thomas Farnefolds.

At the heart of the property is a 16th-century timber-framed structure, refaced in brick during the mid-18th century. At that time, a two-storey flint and brick tower with gothic detailing was attached to the main house in a deliberate attempt to create a historic appearance.Among Gatewick’s most striking features is a mysterious brick and flint folly archway on the front lawn, featuring reset historic capitals. Although its origins remain uncertain, it is inscribed with the date 1749 along with the initials of the Barnard family who owned Gatewick at that time. It is thought to have been constructed as a sham ruin, to enhance the appearance of antiquity of the estate and its owners.

The Edward’s map of Steyning was made c.1791, depicting Gatewick House (H) and all its outbuildings (highlighted in red), and the old Gatewick Mill (G) to the south-west.

During the Regency period, the house was presented as a picturesque, rustic building, developing the romantic gothic vision that had been established in the previous century.Its appearance is captured in an early-19thcentury sketch, which shows a strange trio of pinnacles along the parapet of the western tower.

During the later 19th century, the house became a tenanted farm but was further altered by the Rev. John Goring in a distinct cottage orné appearance, befitting a rectory or parsonage. Goring added new gables with bargeboards and finials, decorative timber framing, and gothic drip or hood moulds to the windows, all to the enhance the property’s appearance from the church.

In the 20th century, Gatewick House underwent further alterations, giving it a more classical appearance, but with some unsympathetic additions and alterations.

In 2025, the estate entered a new phase, with ADAM Architecture securing permission for a range of sensitive repairs and enhancements to the house, including the construction of a new extension on the site of a lost Victorian glasshouse.