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Monkey Lodge is at the bottom of Freston Hill and formed a gateway to the Berners Estate from the mid 19th century. On either side of the gateway are monkeys, and they are a symbol adopted by the Berners, also appearing in various parts of the village and in the fireplace in the old billiard room/Berners dorm.
Myth has it that this is because there was a fire at WH and monkeys awoke and the commotion warned the residents. I have not been able to find a single piece of real evidence to back this up. However, a monkey does feature in the Berners’ history, but long before any connection to Woolverstone.
The medieval de Berners family had a baby rescued by a monkey from a fire in Baynards Castle in London, and the Woolverstone Berners subsequently promoted this ‘de Berners’ connection in Victorian times to enhance their aristocratic heritage.
The monkey depiction first appears on a medieval window in West Horsley church in Surrey, along with James de Berners who was executed in 1388 on trumped up charges. The family was later pardoned.
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