History (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Silverlands was originally built in 1814 by Surrey brewer Robert Porter, before being largely rebuilt by its second owner Vice Admiral Sir Henry Hotham.
The three storey home was extended by its third owner Sir John Brunner, who lived here between 1907-8 and 1919, and was believed to have added the grand Neo-Georgian panelled entrance lobby and library.
It became home to the Actors Orphanage in 1938, who aimed to board, clothe and educate destitute children of actors and actresses. The Fund's first President was the eminent actor, Sir Henry Irving.
Two years later the children were evacuated to New York following the outbreak of World War II.
The orphans, thanks to Noel Coward, were sent to the Edwin Gould Foundation in New York, where they stayed for the entire conflict.
IN 1945, the Actors Orphanage Fund returned to Silverlands after the Germans surrendered to Allied forces. In the early 1940s a nursing school was also established at the site to train staff for nearby hospitals.
In 1956 Laurence Olivier took over as president of the Fund and Richard Attenborough served as his deputy. Together the pair introduced many changes at the home.
They instigated changes, including the old dormitories being partitioned into individual cubicles each furnished with a new bed, small bureau and mirror.
The children were divided into 'family groups' each containing a mixture of boys and girls of different ages and placed under the supervision of house parents.
Each group had its own sitting room and dining room. The children were also allowed to choose some of their own clothes, listen to pop music, and hold or attend Saturday night dances.
In 1958 facing rising repair costs the orphanage closed its doors, but the nursing school remained until the 1990s.
The site lay empty until the late nineties when the Ministry of Justice announced plans to turn it into a clinic for paedophiles and sex offenders.
The proposal was met by strong opposition from the local community and the proposals were eventually abandoned in 2002 after a series of candle light vigils.
THE DERP
About a year ago now me and @Dora Grew Up went to have a look at silverlands, with no intentions of actually getting in, we had a scout about and discussed entry points before returning to the car and moving on to the next location. the main reason we didnt enter was due to the sheer amount of people working and visiting the yard next door.
So a year on and here i am writing this with a large grin on my face,
on the night me and @Dora Grew Up parked nearby and hid the car keys incase we were capyured by one of the many rumored evil security guards, while walking up the long dark drive we heard an almighty WOOF! From what seemed to be a very near by location.
after proceeding to change my pants and catch my breath we continued on.
Once we was in the grounds of the manor we now had the hard job of getting in the building ( i wont go into detail)
we was in
after around 3-4 hours of exploring we called it a night and decided to go home! there was most cetainly someone else in the building that night, lights being on and the sound of doors opening all night im still fairly convinced! unfortunatly i didnt get any exturnal shots due to paranoid thoughts and the risk of getting a doberman shaped bite mark in my ass!
some photos
Silverlands was originally built in 1814 by Surrey brewer Robert Porter, before being largely rebuilt by its second owner Vice Admiral Sir Henry Hotham.
The three storey home was extended by its third owner Sir John Brunner, who lived here between 1907-8 and 1919, and was believed to have added the grand Neo-Georgian panelled entrance lobby and library.
It became home to the Actors Orphanage in 1938, who aimed to board, clothe and educate destitute children of actors and actresses. The Fund's first President was the eminent actor, Sir Henry Irving.
Two years later the children were evacuated to New York following the outbreak of World War II.
The orphans, thanks to Noel Coward, were sent to the Edwin Gould Foundation in New York, where they stayed for the entire conflict.
IN 1945, the Actors Orphanage Fund returned to Silverlands after the Germans surrendered to Allied forces. In the early 1940s a nursing school was also established at the site to train staff for nearby hospitals.
In 1956 Laurence Olivier took over as president of the Fund and Richard Attenborough served as his deputy. Together the pair introduced many changes at the home.
They instigated changes, including the old dormitories being partitioned into individual cubicles each furnished with a new bed, small bureau and mirror.
The children were divided into 'family groups' each containing a mixture of boys and girls of different ages and placed under the supervision of house parents.
Each group had its own sitting room and dining room. The children were also allowed to choose some of their own clothes, listen to pop music, and hold or attend Saturday night dances.
In 1958 facing rising repair costs the orphanage closed its doors, but the nursing school remained until the 1990s.
The site lay empty until the late nineties when the Ministry of Justice announced plans to turn it into a clinic for paedophiles and sex offenders.
The proposal was met by strong opposition from the local community and the proposals were eventually abandoned in 2002 after a series of candle light vigils.
THE DERP
About a year ago now me and @Dora Grew Up went to have a look at silverlands, with no intentions of actually getting in, we had a scout about and discussed entry points before returning to the car and moving on to the next location. the main reason we didnt enter was due to the sheer amount of people working and visiting the yard next door.
So a year on and here i am writing this with a large grin on my face,
on the night me and @Dora Grew Up parked nearby and hid the car keys incase we were capyured by one of the many rumored evil security guards, while walking up the long dark drive we heard an almighty WOOF! From what seemed to be a very near by location.
after proceeding to change my pants and catch my breath we continued on.
Once we was in the grounds of the manor we now had the hard job of getting in the building ( i wont go into detail)
we was in
after around 3-4 hours of exploring we called it a night and decided to go home! there was most cetainly someone else in the building that night, lights being on and the sound of doors opening all night im still fairly convinced! unfortunatly i didnt get any exturnal shots due to paranoid thoughts and the risk of getting a doberman shaped bite mark in my ass!
some photos
nice to see it's still in fairly decent nick!
