The estate about here is first referred to as Brightwells. A new house is supposed to have been built in the first half of the 17th century by a Thomas Carey whose daughter inherited. She had married Lord Mordaunt the 2nd Earl of Peterborough and the house passed on to their son. The 2nd Earl was considerably involved in the restoration of the monarchy and thereby benefited considerably from the largesse of Charles II. The 3rd Earl was amongst those particularly involved in placing William of Orange on the throne. Thomas Bowack, contemporary with the 3rd Earl, writes in his 'Antiquities of Middlesex':

'The seat is very large, a square regular pile of brick and has a great gallery all around it upon the roof. It has an abundance of extraordinary great rooms with fine paintings etc. but is mostly remarkable for its spacious gardens, there being about 20 acres of ground.'

That house was demolished by a new owner, John Meyrick, at the end of the 18th century. Meyrick built a two storey Georgian house some distance from the old one which, in the sales particulars of 1845, is described as 'a mansion in every way calculated for a family of distinction.' The local historian Barbara Denny writes that:

'The front door was approached by a fine semi-circular flight of double steps with Corinthian columns on either side and the vestibule featured a circular stone staircase. The drawing room was 45 feet long extending from the front to the back of the house, and the walls were covered with moire silk. At the rear of the house there was a pretty circular boudoir with blue walls and a painted ceiling with French windows opening on to the sloping lawns. The extensive grounds, some of which were let out as market gardens, included many types of trees.'

This house was demolished for development of the estate at the end of the 19th century.

O/S Co-ords:2522.7638
Source(s):

A History of Fulham