The History of Fernleigh

Fernleigh stands on a site with a history far older than its elegant early-19th-century façade suggests. Long before the current flint and yellow-brick townhouse was built, this part of North Street had already lived many lives.

In the 17th century, the original building on the site was owned by William Cawley, MP for Chichester in 1628. By 1731 it had become the property of Rowland Burrow, an innkeeper who later sold it to merchant John Dearling of Cathedral Close. Under Dearling, and later fellow merchant John Ridge, the property was known as The Banqueting House. It wasn’t just a residence; it included a malthouse (later a brewhouse), stables, outhouses, storehouses and gardens.

In 1804, the Ridge family sold the estate to William and Edward Humphry, brothers and brewer-partners who also owned The Swan on East Street. Two years later, the Humphrys sold the property to Charles Cooper, a coal merchant from Chichester.

Cooper made the most dramatic change in the site’s long history. In 1807 he demolished the older buildings and constructed the townhouse we recognise today: a handsome home built from local flint with yellow brick dressings and a Tuscan Doric porch. At the time, flint was a popular building material due to a brick tax, and its abundance across the South Downs.

Later that same year, Cooper sold the newly completed house to Richard Murray, twice Mayor of Chichester. The Murray and Newland families held the property for nearly half a century until 1874, when the estate passed through several hands, including banker John Geddes Cockburn and the Halsted ironmonger family.

By the late 19th century the house had expanded its footprint, stretching from North Street across to Chapel Street (where St Cyriac’s apartments now stand), with more than an acre of grounds.

In the 20th century, Fernleigh began a completely new chapter. The estate was eventually purchased by West Sussex County Council, and the house became a community building used by countless local groups - from youth services to clubs, meetings and workshops. For many decades, it served as a lively hub for the people of Chichester.

Today, Fernleigh is owned and run by a local Chichester-based family, who have carefully restored and reimagined the building as a welcoming space for the community once again; honouring its past while giving it a vibrant new future.