On the Real Watership Down
Sydmonton
Although they could not know it, the down was more lonely than it had been for hundreds of years. There were no sheep, and villagers from Kingsclere and Sydmonton no longer had any occasion to walk over the hills, either for business or for pleasure. In the fields of Sandleford the rabbits had seen men almost every day. Here, since their arrival, they had seen one and him on a horse.
Looking round the little group that gathered on the grass, Hazel saw that all of them—even Holly—were looking stronger, sleeker and in better shape than when they had first come to the Down. Whatever might lie ahead, at least he could feel that he had not failed them so far.
Chapter Twenty Three—Kehaar
Sydmonton Court (right) and Watership Down Stud (left) with Ladle Hill and Beacon Hill beyond. December 2025.
Twice in Watership Down (in Chapter Twenty Three, Kehaar) mention is made of Sydmonton, the tiny village due west of the Down’s foot. This is the settlement that gives its name to the 5,000 acre country estate that takes in a lot of the local area including Cannon Heath Farm, Shepherd’s Cottage Watership Farm and, of course, Watership Down itself.
It is between the village’s two entry signs that that composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s estate offices, equine stud and Sydmonton Court home are situated behind high hedges and walls. Even the old parish church is in there following much of the village’s enclosure in the late 18th century. There’s not a lot to see from the road except the long, tree-lined driveway to Sydmonton Court, situated just west of the village near to Ladle Hill House.
If you want to see more then you can follow the public footpath that runs north from the road into the grounds of Sydmonton Court and up beyond the red brick Laundry Cottages. It’s a strange experience to pass through what is essentially Lloyd Webber’s garden and the rather visible CCTV cameras are a reminder that you’re being watched. Nonetheless, this a beautiful area of park land and is well worth a visit.
Sydmonton Farmhouse. December 2025.
Gallery
Park land inside Sydmonton Court. December 2025.
The gates to Sydmonton Court. December 2025.
Looking north to the estate’s Laundry Cottages. December 2025.
