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The property, originally owned by the Monastery of Westminster, was granted by King Henry VIII in 1540 to Robert Palmer whose son Sir Thomas decided to build a new dwelling. In 1577 the foundation stone of the present house was laid by Sir Thomas's two-and-a-half year old grandson, another Thomas, who sold the estate in 1601 to Thomas Bysshopp.

His descendant, Sir Cecil Bysshopp, became the 12th Lord Zouche in 1816 and Parham remained with the family through the Curzon connection into the 20th Century.

Then in 1922 Parham Park was purchased by the younger son of Viscount Cowdray, The Hon. Clive Pearson and his wife Alicia, daughter of Lord Brabourne. In 1948, after the Second World War when Parham had also been home to evacuee children from London and to Canadian soldiers, Mr and Mrs Pearson opened Parham to the public and were amongst the first to show their house regularly in the post-war years.

They were followed in this tradition by their eldest daughter, Veronica Tritton, who devoted her life to Parham. Lady Emma Barnard, elder daughter of the Countess and of the late Earl of Iveagh, is Mr and Mrs Pearson's great-grand-daughter. Mrs Tritton's great-niece.

Mr and Mrs Pearson spent more than 40 years carefully restoring Parham and filling it with a sensitively chosen collection of beautiful furniture, paintings and textiles, also acquiring items originally in the house. The range of portraits is especially notable. There are many rugs and carpets and a particularly important collection of early needlework.

What they created at Parham is a rare survival of mid 20th-Century connoisseurship, in the context of a major Elizabethan house.

Mr and Mrs Pearson were also responsible for the form of the gardens seen at Parham today. The four-acre walled garden includes a Wendy House and an apple orchard. Its large mixed borders and greenhouses are principally devoted to the growing of flowers and plants for the house. Mrs Pearson began the tradition of making arrangements to harmonise with the colours in the rooms. The 18th century Pleasure Grounds extend to seven acres and include a lake, many specimen trees and spring bulbs, swings and a brick and turf maze.

Parham House and Gardens are surrounded by some 875 acres of working agricultural and forestry land. This includes 300 acres of ancient park in which fallow deer roam - descendants of the original herd first mentioned in 1628.

Simon Jenkins's new book "England's Thousand Best Houses" has placed Parham in the Top Twenty, with 5 stars, in the company of Windsor Castle, Chatsworth, Kensington Palace, etc.

Parham Park is the home of Lady Emma and Mr James Barnard, but is now owned by a Charitable Trust. The house, gardens and park are administered by a Council of Management charged with their care and with the duty of continuing to open Parham to the public. Visitors, adults and children, are assured of a warm welcome to a remarkable family inheritance. You can get more information on the history of Parham from their Website.

Opening Times - 2010:

Easter Sunday (4th April) - 30th September: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Monday (also Tuesday and Friday afternoons in August). Gardens open 12 noon to 5 pm and House open 2 - 5 pm .

Guided groups by arrangement at other times.

Admission Prices - 2010:

House & Gardens:
Adults - £8
Child (5-15yrs) - £3.50
Seniors - £7.50
Family (2+4) - £22

Gardens only:
Adults - £6
Child (5-15yrs) - £2.50
Seniors - £5.50
Family (2+4) - £15

Group (20+):
Adult - £5.50
Seniors - £4.50

More information on the garden can be found on The Gardens Guide.