Farleigh House
Encyclopedia
Farleigh House is a large country house in the English
county of Somerset
that was formerly the centre of the Farleigh Hungerford
estate, and much of the stone came from Farleigh Hungerford Castle
.
The house is a Grade II listed building.
The Houlton family remained at Farleigh Hungerford until 1899, when Sir Edward Houlton died with no male heir.
and later passed through several hands. In the 1950s and 1960s, Farleigh House and its estate were owned by the Hely-Hutchinson family, a cadet branch of the Hely-Hutchinsons, Earls of Donoughmore
.
, which had previously been based in nearby Beckington Castle
. In about 1980, John Gillam also bought much of the Farleigh Hungerford estate. In 1998, Ravenscroft School closed and the house became Farleigh College
, a Special Needs
school educating children with autism
and Asperger Syndrome
and dyslexia
, but which subsequently moved to new premises near Mells
. John Gillam and his family continued to own the house until it was sold to an optical company called Inspecs to serve as the firm's headquarters.
) carried out significant groundworks to reinstate the traditional formal gardens.
, businessman, had purchased a 99-year lease of Farleigh House as Bath Rugby Club's new administrative headquarters and training ground following his acquisition of the Club.
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...
county of 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...
that was formerly the centre of the Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, in the valley of the River Frome....
estate, and much of the stone came from Farleigh Hungerford Castle
Farleigh Hungerford Castle
Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, who made his fortune working as a...
.
The house is a Grade II listed building.
Houlton family
The house has sometimes been called Farleigh New Castle. Indeed, it was largely built with stone taken from the ruins of the mediaeval Castle itself. A Trowbridge clothier, Joseph Houlton, bought the Farleigh estate in 1702. His son, Joseph Houlton, Junior, lived at Church Farm within the estate. He completely rebuilt and turned an old gabled house into Farleigh House, a modest gentleman's residence complete with a 120 acres (48.6 ha) deer park. In 1806, Colonel John Houlton inherited the estate. He enlarged and altered the house in the fashionable Gothic Revival style spending £40,000 - several million in today‘s values - on extensions to the main house, a chapel, hot houses, conservatories, stables and six lodges. Most of the present house dates from that period. One of the lodges was called the Castle Lodge and is now the Bath Lodge Hotel.The Houlton family remained at Farleigh Hungerford until 1899, when Sir Edward Houlton died with no male heir.
Later owners
The estate was sold in 1906 to Lord CairnsWilfred Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns
Lieutenant- Colonel Wilfred Dallas Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns, CMG, DL was a peer of the United Kingdom and a Rifle Brigade officer....
and later passed through several hands. In the 1950s and 1960s, Farleigh House and its estate were owned by the Hely-Hutchinson family, a cadet branch of the Hely-Hutchinsons, Earls of Donoughmore
Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore
Richard John Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore PC , styled Viscount Suirdale between 1832 and 1851, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
.
Ravenscroft School
In 1970, the main house and a number of cottages were sold to Mr John F. R. Gillam, the Headmaster and owner of Ravenscroft SchoolRavenscroft School (Somerset)
Ravenscroft School was an independent day and boarding school, initially for boys only, but from 1964 co-educational. From 1945 onwards its premises were in Somerset, England...
, which had previously been based in nearby Beckington Castle
Beckington
Beckington is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome...
. In about 1980, John Gillam also bought much of the Farleigh Hungerford estate. In 1998, Ravenscroft School closed and the house became Farleigh College
Farleigh College
Farleigh College is a mainly residential special school for pupils with Asperger syndrome, situated at North Parade in Frome, Somerset. It previously occupied Farleigh House at Farleigh Hungerford, a few miles to the north, from which it took its name....
, a Special Needs
Special education in the United Kingdom
Special education in the United Kingdom, being an aspect of education, is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for education in England, the Scottish Government is responsible for...
school educating children with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and Asperger Syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
and dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, but which subsequently moved to new premises near Mells
Mells, Somerset
Mells is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, near the town of Frome.The parish includes the village of Vobster which had a coal mine of the same name on the Somerset coalfield and quarry, both of which are now disused. The old quarry is now used as a diving centre...
. John Gillam and his family continued to own the house until it was sold to an optical company called Inspecs to serve as the firm's headquarters.
Inspecs
In 2001, London based Inspecs owned by Robin Totterman and Chris Smith, purchased the estate and brought back the old name 'Farleigh House'. The owners spent 8 years and significant amounts of money bringing the estate back to its former glory. The roof of the house as well as a complete refurbishment was carried out during this time. The old medieval castle 'Drakes' to the west of Farleigh House, now called the Tower House or Castle Court, was saved from certain ruin through an extensive restoration project. The Estate Manager David Reed (brother of the late actor Oliver ReedOliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
) carried out significant groundworks to reinstate the traditional formal gardens.
Bath Rugby Club
In April 2010, it was announced that Bruce CraigBruce Craig
Bruce Craig is a businessman and entrepreneur. On 14 April 2010, Bruce Craig bought Bath Rugby from Andrew Brownsword.-Early life:...
, businessman, had purchased a 99-year lease of Farleigh House as Bath Rugby Club's new administrative headquarters and training ground following his acquisition of the Club.