Permission To Convert Horsley Tower Meeting Rooms into Bedrroms, Sought

Published on: 25 Jun, 2026
Updated on: 25 Jun, 2026

Horsley Towers Google

By James Moules

local democracy reporter

A Grade II listed Surrey country house has applied to convert some meeting rooms into six new en-suite bedrooms.

Listed building consent is being sought for the internal works at Horsley Towers, a grand house that dates back to the 19th century.

The Tudor gothic style mansion was built in the 1820s, and has boasted famous residents including the mathematician Ada Lovelace.

DeVere Horsley Estate is now seeking listed building consent from Guildford Borough Council for conversion works that would see six new bedrooms set up.

“This application is a renewal of the previous listed building consent approved in November 2017 for the same works,” the application’s cover letter reads.

However, the applicant noted that no external alterations would be carried out in the works.

The applicant wrote: “In order to encourage wider public appreciation of the listed building as the heart of the venue, in a manner that meets both the owners operational requirements and shows an appreciation of the building’s heritage, this submission details the proposed changes.

“Recognising that the 19th century parts of the mansion are of special interest, physical works will be light-touch, with changes to enable the historic building to function as the heart of the Park’s visitor offer to be kept to a minimum wherever possible.”

They added that the rationale for this application is to ensure the estate has high quality bedrooms for visitors, which it says have not been refurbished since around the year 2000.

“The heritage and history of the Towers is currently underutilised as a means to attract guests and the poor quality of bedrooms mean that many potential visitors make bookings elsewhere,” the architectural summary reads.

“The bedrooms in particular are underwhelming and are showing signs of the lack of investment as they have not been refurbished since circa 2000.”