High Marley

TOBIAS AND JESSIE MATTHAY began building "High Marley," their Sussex home near Haslemere, Surrey, in the spring of 1909, and they began living there that autumn. By then, their London residence at 96 Wimpole Street served as their home during the week, and they commuted to their weekend country retreat—about 35 miles to the south—for nearly 30 years. Situated on a hill overlooking Marley Commons, the house stood 700 feet above sea level, and the southern views were remarkable—on a clear day you could see as far as the English Channel.

MATTHAY designed the house to his own specifications. His bedroom (at right) stood directly above the dining room, and both captured the sun from the east and the south. The music room (on the ground floor at left) was just under 30 by 25 feet. Matthay's study, directly under the center gable, spanned the entire width of the house. This photo was taken about 1925.

A RARE PHOTO of the house covered by snow from the mid-1920s.

HIGH MARLEY'S northern entrance. The two-story oriel window illuminates the staircase.