Appley House is an English country house

English country house

The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...

 and abbey

Abbey

An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...

 in Appley Rise

Appley, Isle of Wight

Appley is an area of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.. Until the early 1960s, it was largely based on the former English country house of Appley Towers and neighbouring Appley Farm...

, Ryde

Ryde

Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...

, Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

.

Geography

It is located at the extremity of the Dover. It is much and deservedly admired for the singular beauty of its situation. The wood, which grows close down to the sea-shore, is a noble object from the house, and presents an agreeable retreat from the heat of summer.

History

It stands on the site of a house which was formerly occupied by a notorious smuggler named Boyce (d. 1740), who for a long series of years had been engaged in the illicit trade in the "back of the island," but having sufficiently increased his savings, he purchased Appley, and retired there, seemingly far removed from his former connections and avocations. Boyce even aspired to a seat in the legislature, smuggling not then being looked upon as a very heinous offence. It is located near Appley Towers

Appley Towers

Appley Towers is an English country house in Appley, Isle of Wight. It was the seat of the Hutt family who bought it in the 1870s, and later of Sir Hedworth Williamson. It is located near Appley House.It is a highly imposing building in the Tudor-Gothic style of architecture...

, the seat of the William Hutt

William Hutt (British MP)

Sir William Hutt KCB, PC was a British Liberal politician who was heavily involved in the colonization of New Zealand and South Australia.-Background and education:...

family who bought it in the 1870s. Appley was for many years the mansion house of the Hutt family. One of the proprietors of this estate was Governor of the Colony of "Western Australia. The gallant Captain John Hutt, who so greatly distinguished himself, and fell in command of the Queen, in Lord Howe's glorious victory, on the 1st of June, 1794, was also of this family. It was also the residence of James Hyde, Esq.

It is now St Cecilia's Abbey.