Wotton House is a historic estate in Surrey, England, near Dorking, known for its rich Evelyn family heritage and gardens.
Built in the early 17th century by the Evelyn family after George Evelyn purchased the estate in 1579, it served as their seat. Diarist John Evelyn was born there in 1620 and later created England’s first Italian garden on the grounds starting in 1643 (shown above)
The house saw extensions by William Kent in the 18th century, further alterations in the 19th, and restoration after a fire by Henry Woodyer in 1877.
George Evelyn, who owned the house in the late 16th century, amassed wealth through a royal monopoly on gunpowder production, funding the estate’s grandeur. His son Richard staffed it with 116 servants in lavish velvet uniforms. 
Interesting facts....
The walled “Secret Garden” once housed kangaroos in a purpose-built enclosure during the mid-19th century, with rumors of escapes into nearby villages—part of an eccentric animal collection that included tortoises in a grand temple.