Working with Christopher Nicholson and Hugh Casson, and assisted by Salvador Dalí, James constructed what has been called "the only complete Surrealist house ever created in Britain".

[1] Willie eschewed a business career, and following a youth spent travelling, established himself as a country gentleman, purchasing the West Dean estate in 1891.

The foundation’s trustees insisted that the sale was financially necessary,[15] Christopher Gibbs saying that they "[couldn't] go into an open ended liability running a museum of surrealism".

[15] A campaign, 'The Monkton Appeal', was launched by The Thirties Society and Save Britain's Heritage to purchase both for the nation, with the aim of raising £1.6 million (equivalent to £5,921,660 in 2023) by June 1986.

[18] The fund's director, Brian Lang, considered that the public benefit gained from saving Monkton was "a bit marginal".

[19] Some of the leading architectural historians of the day, including Clive Aslet, Mark Girouard, and Gavin Stamp, strongly disagreed and vocally opposed the sale.

[18] Conversely, the architectural historian John Cornforth considered that Monkton did not merit saving and his views were perceived as particularly influential in the failure of the campaign.

[d][21] A five-day auction of the contents of Monkton, described as "The Edward James Collection", was held by Christie's in June 1986 on the lawn of West Dean College.

[28] Of two storeys, with multiple balconies, the exterior exhibits a number of unusual, Dalí-esque features, such as the drain pipes which are supported by palm tree columns.

[28] A glass panel in the centre of the ceiling of the map room was backlit with stars that were "positioned to represent the moment of James' birth".

[14] The interior included many pieces by Dalí, in particular his Mae West Lips Sofa,[f][33] his Lobster Telephone[34] and his Champagne Standard Lamps.

[23] A staircase carpet originally at the house was embroidered with the outline of the wet footprints made by Tilly Losch when she ran naked from a bathroom to her bedroom.

[i][41][42] The Victoria and Albert Museum, which ultimately acquired one of the pairs of lamps, and one of the Mae West Lips sofas,[43] described James as a "key figure in the promotion and international recognition of Surrealism", and considered his collection, much of which was once held at Monkton, "one of the largest and most important in the world".