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Here is a wonderful picture of one of the mature trees; is it a Cedar of Lebanon
View from the north (garden) side. The House was rebuilt on the classical style in the early 18th century by John Bridges, and then again in the 1870's by the Combe family for £26,000
The flats - South to the left, North to the right. Originally servants flats and coach houses, then offices, soon flats again. The clock does work, following the installation of electrics - you used to have to climb into the loft to wind it, so that didn't happen very often while these were offices.
Logica used to keep a small flock of peacocks. Peacocks fight for the right to mate. Unfortunately, the males used to try to peck their own reflection in car doors and wings - especially metallic blue cars. Of course, the car appeared to fight back back just as hard as they pecked resulting an a lot of damage to cars. After that, the number of males was kept down, ultimately to one male called Roadrunner because he used to wander about in the lane and a few females. Male peacocks roost, not least because they have no practical way of escaping prey when they are in full feather. The females do not roost and rely on their drab appearance for camouflage. It was quite impressive seeing a peacock in full feather fly up to the top of the house, or maybe one of the ledges. Slowly, all the females were taken by foxes, but not before Roadrunner had an heir - Blue - photo above. When Logica vacated Cobham Park, Blue went with one of the staff to a paddock to live with several ducks, geese and horses. The plan was that this menagery was going to move to France, but this has not happened yet. In the mean time, I hear that Blue has fathered a clutch of chicks.
View from the South. Taken when Logica had moved out, hence the near-empty car park, (a few years ago this was full by 8am.)
View showing part of the garden - mostly rhododendrons in the foreground.
IT'S THE VICIOUS COBHAM GEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Notice the East Pavilion to the left - now demolished.
Notice that the ground floor shutters are closed. The first floor windows used to have butchers blinds/canopies and the second floor had external roller blinds. The blinds were removed a long time ago, but the brackets etc were left in place.
Judas tree - splendid when in flower, but I never had a camera on me at the right time
The central porch.
There are a number of different shape features on the building. This one was known as an icicle.
Just about every corner or edge on the roof is finished with something - here it is wrought iron
Looking out over the flats, squash courts to the right (now demolished to make way for a block of flats)
Roof of the Conference room bay.
The arch of the flats from the stable courtyard through to the carriage courtyard - both with original cobbles.
This gargoyle is on a building next to the Chapel. The building was used initially by Logica as a groundsman's shed and later converted to the Post Room and Goods Inwards.
Hidden underground near the lake is this wonderful vaulted brick icehouse. The walls would have been lined with straw and ice cut from the lake during the winter. This would have acted as a freezer for the house. Believe it or not, ice would last in here through to the next winter.
Cobham park reflected in it's lake - a view not available to staff as the boundary ends at the lake shore.
Certainly the most pleasant office I've ever been in.
