Silverlands has been done way too many times.... However I wanted to pay a visit! This month I’ve been here a couple of times - I really can’t get enough of this place! This place has been on my “To Go List” since the day I started urban exploring! The place is in such a sad state now! It’s been vandalised and the natural decay is taking over Silverlands rapidly. The access was very nice and simple. The first time I went here was the very start of April.... No security, nobody around.... The second time I went here we had to hide from a man in a yellow high vis coat. I’m guessing he is security - however I have been told Silverlands has got a “contractor” there every day? Both explores we had the whole place to ourselves for a few hours - lucky us! I remember when Silverlands was a mission to do. The iconic staircase is gorgeous! Both times being here I sat on the staircase for a while just taking in how beautiful it is! So glad I have seen inside this place! Words can’t describe how happy I am to tick tick this place off my list!
History -
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.
History -
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.
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