Lavington Park Seaford College

Lavington Park, now Seaford College, is a half-H shaped house. The original core of the house comprises the east wing and the central section, initially the service wing, built in 1794 for John Sargent, MP. It was constructed for the Garton family, from whom Mrs Sargent had inherited the property. The architect was James Lewis.

After Mrs Sargent's death in 1841, the house passed to Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford from 1845-69 and Bishop of Winchester from 1869-73, who had married Emily, the eldest granddaughter of Sargent, in 1828. Wilberforce resided at the house at intervals until his death in 1873, and his son followed him. In 1903, the house was significantly enlarged by Lord Woolavington with the addition of the west wing, balancing and closely matching the eastern wing and the central portion, with alterations made to the centre. The architect for this addition was Detmar Blow.

The house is two storeys with an attic and basement, constructed of white brick. It features a balustraded parapet and a hipped slate roof, with intact glazing bars to the windows. The south front, facing the Downs, has 15 windows and 11 dormers. The five easternmost window bays constitute the 1794 wing. The three central window bays of this wing project slightly, with a solid section above containing a cartouche, a wide central porch with four Ionic columns and a pediment. This 1794 wing’s design was replicated at the west end in 1903, with a matching porch, and a recessed section of five windows lies between them. The west front features five windows and five dormers. The north front, overlooking the Weald, exhibits a greater projection of the 1794 and 1903 wings. The original wing has seven windows, three dormers, and two curved bays on the ground and first floors featuring Venetian windows on the curves on the ground floor, also with a curved bay in the centre of the west wall. The recessed portion has five windows and five dormers along with a porch with a pediment, added in 1903, which is now the main entrance. The west wing added in 1903 is almost identical to the original wing.