Kilworth House
Encyclopedia
Kilworth House is a four star country house hotel, located west of North Kilworth
, Leicestershire
.
country house
was built as a family home towards the end of the nineteenth century for John Entwisle, the High Sheriff
of Leicestershire.
John Entwistle was born in 1856 at Foxholes near Rochdale
to a wealthy family involved in the Lancashire
woollen trade
. He subsequently moved to the Midlands where he became a successful local businessman and lived in North Kilworth. In 1888, aged just 32, he became High Sheriff
of Leicestershire and commissioned a Mr A E Purdie to design Kilworth House which was completed in 1891.
When John Entwistle died in 1945 the house and his entire estate passed to his second wife, Florence. When she died during the 1960s, the Snowdon family bought Kilworth House. During the late 1970s, Tony Iommi
, Black Sabbath
guitarist, lived at the house while dating one of the Snowdon daughters. In 1999, the Snowdons sold Kilworth House to the current owners who began a project of restoration and redevelopment of the House to create a Hotel.
North Kilworth
North Kilworth is a village in south Leicestershire, England, north of South Kilworth. Largely bypassed by the A4304 road, the village consists of a mix of old and new housing and includes a primary school and the parish church of St...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
History
This grade II listed ItalianateItalianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
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...
was built as a family home towards the end of the nineteenth century for John Entwisle, the High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Leicestershire.
John Entwistle was born in 1856 at Foxholes near Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
to a wealthy family involved in the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
woollen trade
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
. He subsequently moved to the Midlands where he became a successful local businessman and lived in North Kilworth. In 1888, aged just 32, he became High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Leicestershire and commissioned a Mr A E Purdie to design Kilworth House which was completed in 1891.
When John Entwistle died in 1945 the house and his entire estate passed to his second wife, Florence. When she died during the 1960s, the Snowdon family bought Kilworth House. During the late 1970s, Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
guitarist, lived at the house while dating one of the Snowdon daughters. In 1999, the Snowdons sold Kilworth House to the current owners who began a project of restoration and redevelopment of the House to create a Hotel.