Although the present house is a mixture of Queen Anne & Victorian architecture, the history of the Manor of Walhampton can be traced back to the days of William the Conqueror. In Norman times, Walhampton was given to Earl Roger of Shrewsbury; however, he blotted his copybook and forfeited all his estates so the Manor reverted automatically to the Crown at the beginning of the 12th Century and it was the presented to the Earl of Devon. In 1263, the Devons gave the estate to the Christchurch Canons, who held it until the Dissolution of the Monastery in 1539. There were many owners after this date, including the Wriothsleys, Earls of Southampton, until 1668 when it was bought by the Burrards from the Curate of Lymington, a certain William Gearing! The age of the Burrards was the heyday of Walhampton, for they were an influential family both locally & nationally, and it was they who built the 18th Century house.

Any architectural observer will see immediately that Walhampton is not one house but two. The western half between the two turrets, is clearly built in the 18th Century style, whereas the eastern wing is all too obviously a late Victorian addition. The early part of the house was originally built in 1711 in the Queen Anne style, using the red brick that was common in those days. The purity of this elegant 18th Century facade has been unbalanced by the addition of the Victorian Wing, which was designed by the well-known architect, Norman Shaw, and built in the 1890's. In fairness it must be stated that very little of the original Queen Anne house remains, for the old wing was extensively restored by Lady St. Cyres in 1911; although she kept faithfully to the 18th Century style, the appearance of the house altered considerably.

The interior of the house shows obvious signs of the 1911 renovation. The Hall is a very imposing introduction with its balustrade and staircase and oak panelling which surrounds the fireplace. The carvings are after the style of Grinling Gibbons and the oak ceiling is a faithful reproduction of the 18th Century fashion. Originally the staircase would have been central and faced the door. Other interesting ceilings can be found in the present Music Room, the classroom next door to it and a superb Edwardian extravaganza in the Chapel. The Royal Coat of Arms, commemorating the visits of George III, adorns the ceiling of the Staff Common Room, which is immediately beyond the Hall, facing South. The Chapel was created as a Music Room by Lady St. Cyres; originally it was an Orangery as opposed to the present Orangery, now the Headmaster's House, which started life as a Banana House!

The outside is dominated by two terraces built in 1911 by Thomas Mawson, which reflect the Georgian taste for the Italianate style; nowhere is this more evident than in the colonnade by the swimming pool. At the west end of this stands a lone survivor from the 19th Century, a shell grotto. This used to be called the Boatswain's Grotto and a legend is attached to its history. It is said that Admiral Sir Harry Burrard-Neale brought his coxswain to live at Walhampton during his retirement. This man spent his declining years creating this cave full of designs in shell; when the grotto was completed, he had nothing else to live for so he drowned himself in the Solent.

Although they acquired Walhampton in 1668, the Burrards were known in Lymington well before that; a George Burrard was Mayor of Lymington in 1574. The Burrards originated from a Norman, Guillame de Bosc Ruard, a name which gradually became anglicised to Borard; Burrard is clearly a Hampshire corruption of this.

On buying Walhampton the Burrards also acquired control of Lymington parliamentary elections and half the Borough in their pockets, securing the return of two M.P.s at each election; this was nationally known as the Walhampton Interest. Politically, the Burrards appear to have been 'Vicars of Bray', changing sides regularly but ending as Tory supporters of George III. When the Great Reform Bill of 1832 swept away Rotten Boroughs, the Burrard influence slowly waned; up till then, it was usual for a Burrard to be one of the two Lymington M.P.s.

The Burrards produced two famous figures, both serving in the Napoleonic Wars. General Sir Harry Burrard was one of seven Lieutenant-Generals who went to the Peninsular in 1808. Sir Harry was jointly responsible for the monumental 'gaffe' of the Convention of Cintra. This was concluded after Wellington's defeat of the French army at Vimeiro and allowed the remnant to leave Portugal intact, with all its equipment, the whole being carried in British ships. Sir Harry, with another senior General, forced this agreement on Wellington; the resultant enquiry was not very favourable to the former.

Admiral Sir Harry Burrard-Neale (the Neale added on marriage) had greater success. He was a close friend of George III, who regularly visited Walhampton. He played a large part in the quelling of the Mutiny at the C-in-C Portsmouth. The Monument was built in his honour, the cost of £1482-3s-0d being raised out of a public subscription in Lymington. The Admiral's sister was a great beauty and frequent model for Gainsborough.

An eerie story to complete the section on the Burrards! An 18th Birthday Ball was to be held in 1772 for Laura, daughter of Sir Harry Burrard During a 'rehearsal' the day before, she was found in her room lying in a pool of blood. No surgeon could reach her in time so, instead of a feast, a sad funeral procession wound its way by torchlight the next night to Lymington Parish Church. Laura's ghost is said to haunt the balustrade in the Hall.

The Burrard connection ended in 1888 with the sale of Walhampton to John Postle Heseltine; he was responsible for the Norman Shaw wing. Heseltine sold the house to Dorothy Morrison, one of the fabulously rich West Country family, in 1910. Dorothy Morrison married Viscount St. Cyres and it was she who restored the house in 1911. She was an eccentric woman of great philanthropic turn of mind; many still remember her annual children's parties. After her death in 1936, the house remained with the Morrisons until 1948, although it was requisitioned in the war and used as a rest home for American officers. It became a Preparatory School in 1948 when it was bought by Mrs. Brewer. Mr. John Bradfield took over the school in 1954 with his partner, Mr. Peter Lawford, turning it into a Charitable Trust. Walhampton Manor continues to flourish as a seat of learning although what the Burrard ancestors would think of this metamorphosis we can only guess.