Roke Manor
Encyclopedia
Roke Manor is the name of the 17th century manor house approximately 2 km north-west of Romsey
in Hampshire
, England
. The house and 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) grounds are currently owned by Roke Manor Research Limited
.
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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...
. The house and 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) grounds are currently owned by Roke Manor Research Limited
Roke Manor Research Limited
Founded in 1956, Roke Manor Research Limited is a UK company based at Roke Manor in Romsey, Hampshire. It is a contract research and development business for communications, networks, and electronic sensors. In addition to supporting Chemring, work is also conducted in both the public and private...
.
History
- 1256 - First known reference to a settlement at Roke in the 'Feet of Fines' papers of SouthamptonSouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. - 1709 - The estate was passed to a John Fifield of Stanbridge EarlsStanbridge EarlsStanbridge Earls School, near Romsey, Hampshire is an independent public school for boys and girls aged 10–19....
and remained in the possession of his family until 1858. During this time many improvements were made to the house and grounds, and the house was renamed 'The Park'. - 1935 - The estate was bought by the Ansell family – a BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
-based brewery firm. Some of the Ansell racing cars were maintained at Roke until the 1950s. - 1956 - The house and 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) of the estate were bought for £13,000 by the Plessey CompanyPlesseyThe Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
and named Plessey Research Roke Manor LimitedRoke Manor Research LimitedFounded in 1956, Roke Manor Research Limited is a UK company based at Roke Manor in Romsey, Hampshire. It is a contract research and development business for communications, networks, and electronic sensors. In addition to supporting Chemring, work is also conducted in both the public and private...
.