Ashcombe House, Somerset
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the Ashcombe House in Wiltshire occupied by Madonna
and Guy Ritchie
.
Ashcombe House at Swainswick
, north-east of Bath in Somerset
, England
is a Gothic revival
country house
. It is a Grade II listed building.
Ashcombe House stands on the slopes of the Lam Valley
in 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of grounds. It dates from the early nineteenth century, and was altered in the late nineteenth century. It started life as a hunting lodge, and there are the remains of the former kennels in the grounds. The 1900 1:10,560 scale (6 inch) Ordnance Survey
map shows the building was known at that time as Ashcombe Farm, with Ashcombe Wood lying to the north-east of it. The house has a rear wing constructed from a converted coach house and stables, and has nine bedrooms and six reception rooms, including a Georgian ballroom. The house was on the market in 2003 for £1.6 million.
Ashcombe House was the family home of singer Peter Gabriel
from 1978-1987. Gabriel recorded his 1982 album Peter Gabriel, commonly known as 4 (or as Security in the US), in his recording studio in a barn on the estate, as well as the soundtrack for the film Birdy
, which he recorded between October and December 1984. Between February and December 1985, Gabriel recorded his album So
at Ashcombe. The track My Secret Place from the Joni Mitchell
album Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm was also recorded at Gabriel's studios at Ashcombe House in 1986.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
.
Ashcombe House at Swainswick
Swainswick
Swainswick is a small village and civil parish, north east of Bath, on the A46 in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 284...
, north-east of Bath in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is a Gothic revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
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...
. It is a Grade II listed building.
Ashcombe House stands on the slopes of the Lam Valley
Lam Brook
The Lam Brook is a stream in the West Country of England, which rises in a number of springs on the southern end of the Cotswold Hills and runs in a generally southerly direction for approximately before joining the river Avon at Lambridge in Bath. The brook is mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter...
in 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of grounds. It dates from the early nineteenth century, and was altered in the late nineteenth century. It started life as a hunting lodge, and there are the remains of the former kennels in the grounds. The 1900 1:10,560 scale (6 inch) Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map shows the building was known at that time as Ashcombe Farm, with Ashcombe Wood lying to the north-east of it. The house has a rear wing constructed from a converted coach house and stables, and has nine bedrooms and six reception rooms, including a Georgian ballroom. The house was on the market in 2003 for £1.6 million.
Ashcombe House was the family home of singer Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
from 1978-1987. Gabriel recorded his 1982 album Peter Gabriel, commonly known as 4 (or as Security in the US), in his recording studio in a barn on the estate, as well as the soundtrack for the film Birdy
Birdy (film)
Birdy is a 1984 American film directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. It is based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton.- Synopsis :...
, which he recorded between October and December 1984. Between February and December 1985, Gabriel recorded his album So
So (album)
So is the fifth studio album by British rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in 1986. Many of its songs reflect a more conventional pop-writing style and became radio hits, while others still retain Gabriel's dark, brooding sense of experimentalism.It is Peter Gabriel's second album produced by...
at Ashcombe. The track My Secret Place from the Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
album Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm was also recorded at Gabriel's studios at Ashcombe House in 1986.