Chorleywood House Estate

Chorleywood House Estate

Chorleywood House and the surrounding grounds were owned by Lady Ela Russell who bought the Estate in 1892.

The layout of the Estate has remained largely unchanged with formal gardens laid out with lawns, flowerbeds and specimen trees near the House.

The Estate came in to Council ownership in 1939, after Lady Ela's death, and was designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 2007.

Visit the Friends of Chorleywood House Estate dedicated website.

To see a map of the site with details of the guided walks, click here.

Your visit

Chorleywood House Estate is a stunning open space which is easily accessible by road, on foot or public transport.

As you drive onto the estate there is an area of free parking opposite the tennis courts with additional parking further along the road adjacent to the football pitches and woodland pathways.

The Estate is located directly off the A404 in Chorleywood, WD3 5SL.

There is plenty to do once you arrive.  For photo enthusiasts, the actual Chorleywood House (now residential) and summer house offers some creative angles and the woodland pathways leading down to the River Chess provide some great landscape and wild nature options.

To see a map of the site with details of the guided walks, click here.

In addition, you can enjoy:

• Self guided walks
• Formal gardens and historic parkland
• Specimen trees and mature woodland
• Wild flower meadows
• Dell Nature Reserve
• The Chess Valley Walk
• Public tennis courts (free, turn up and play)
• Picnicking
• Views of the Chilterns

Self-guided walks

Choose from three contrasting circular walks and discover this magnificent estate for yourself. The site can be freely explored, however, please note that there are no surfaced footpaths and some areas can become slippery, especially in winter.
To see a map of the site with details of the guided walks, click here.

Park walk (1km/0.6miles)

Take a step back in time with a gentle stroll around the formal parkland surrounding Chorleywood House. The current Victorian house replaced a much older Georgian mansion and is now private apartments. Please respect the tenants right to privacy. Discover the extensive formal gardens, lawns and fine specimen trees such as holm oak and laburnum and admire the restored Sunken Garden and Wisteria Circle.

Wood walk (1.2km/0.7miles)

Head for the quiet seclusion of the woods, dominated by oak, cherry, beech and ash trees. In spring time the floor is bright with bluebells, wood anemone and wild daffodils and also supports the nationally rare coralroot bittercress. Along the walk the canopy opens up to reveal panoramic views across the Chess Valley. The route also passes the Dell Nature Reserve, an area of chalk grassland. Look out for cowslips, violets and the bright blue speedwell.

Valley walk (1.5km/0.9miles)

In late spring the pink blossoms of the Chestnut Avenue fall to form an inspiring carpet walkway. Steeper paths lead further down to the picturesque banks of the River Chess, a popular summer picnicking area. This chalk stream is an important habitat supporting many kinds of plants and animals including brown trout, water voles and kingfishers.

More adventurous walkers could join the Chess Valley Walk; a 10 mile route which heads towards Chesham to the north and Rickmansworth to the south.

Chorleywood House Estate Management Plan

View the Chorleywood House Estate Greenspace Action Plan

Volunteer

The Friends of Chorleywood House Estate are a group of local volunteers who help support the actions of the Greenspace Action Plan.

They are always looking for new volunteers to help with the working parties, which take place on the first and third Tuesday of every month. If you are able to attend and help support this important work then please make contact the group via their website:

Chorleywood Community Orchard

Chorleywood Community Orchard was launched in late 2008 with the aim to plant a traditional community Orchard comprising of old Hertfordshire varieties of apple, plum and cherry trees. It provides a setting of natural beauty for the community to enjoy and for wildlife to thrive. The Orchard is maintained by volunteers.

Grazing

Every year  Chorleywood House Grounds welcomes cattle to utilise grazing to naturally maintain the meadow grass.

A herd of Sussex cross Aberdeen Angus helped to sustain a diverse grassland habitat through their natural activity - benefitting a wide variety of plants, animals, and birds under a plan known as conservation grazing.

A Sussex cross Aberdeen Angus is a hybrid beef animal with traits from both British native breeds, offering a combination of the Sussex's rich red colour and the Aberdeen Angus's renowned marbling and tenderness.

These cattle are known for their excellent temperaments, making them an excellent choice for conservation grazing.

The conservation grazing taking place throughout the district is carefully monitored to prevent over grazing, under grazing, poaching of the ground and to protect more sensitive plants where necessary.

Dog walkers are still welcome, but all visitors are encouraged to abide by the Countryside Code.

The cattle are regularly checked by their grazier. However, if you see anything that you feel needs reporting, please contact 01923 776611.

Community organisations

·Chorleywood House Estate offers a variety of clubs. Activites that take place at Chorleywood House Estate are part of the associated clubs.
Please contact them directly if you would like to participate in their activities.

Chorleywood Common Youth Football Club:
An FA Community Chartered Standard Club starting from U5’s Soccer School to teams in all age groups up to U18’s.

Chorleywood Lawn Tennis Club
Chorleywood Lawn Tennis Club was established in 1966 and is now a thriving tennis club with: 6 re-surfaced LED floodlit courts, a full social tennis programme, one-to-one coaching, inter-club competitive matches and a modern club house with regular social evenings.

Little Cakes Montessori School

Based in Chorleywood House Estate, this Montessori school teaches and nurtures children aged two – five years.

Cattle at CWHE

Chorleywood Parish Council
Chorleywood Parish Council are responsible for Chorleywood Common, three allotment sites, the Lawn Cemetery and the Parish footpaths (on behalf of the County Council).  The Parish Council is also the sole trustee of the Chorleywood Village Halls Trust, a registered charity, which owns the village halls.

Amersham and Chorleywood Model Railway Society
If you want to see if this group would suit your modelling interests, please visit the website.