Broadfield House, Crawley

By the early 19th century, the market town of Crawley—founded six centuries earlier on the ancient London–Brighton road, about halfway between the two places—was thriving as a centre of population and commerce. The conversion of the road to a turnpike in the late 18th century had made both London and the fashionable seaside resort of Brighton much more accessible, and Crawley was the natural stopping-off point during the journey. Rich families and gentry who needed easy access to London began building estates and mansions in the Crawley area. One of the largest was the Tilgate Estate, which covered 2185 acre of woodland and open land south of Crawley around the Brighton Road. The main…

Broadfield House stands in Broadfield Park, a nature reserve with lakes and landscaped gardens. It is a stuccoed, bow-fronted building with two storeys. The Welsh slate roof has prominent eaves. A verandah supported on columns runs around the east and north sides and faces the lake in the park. The entrance is on the north face, but the main façade is on the east side, fronting a driveway leading to the Brighton Road. The 1860s single-storey extension is on the west side, and has three bays with round-arched windows. The north side also has three bays. Most windows in all parts of the building are jalousies.