South Hill Park
Encyclopedia
South Hill Park is a 24 acres (9.7 ha) site that lies in the Birch Hill
estate to the south of Bracknell
town centre, in Berkshire
, England.
was built in 1760 for William Watts
for his retirement from service as a senior official of the Bengal
Government. The house was originally on two floors, built in the Italian
manner, decorated with stucco
, with a front entrance and tower in the baroque
style. The grounds included 30 acres (12.1 ha) of common land, which William Watts enclosed. In return he built almshouse
s on a site opposite Easthampstead
Parish Church about half a mile away. The almshouses were eventually demolished by order of the Marquess of Downshire
in 1826.
After his death, the Honourable Henry Bouverie
lived in the house until 1787 and was followed by Sir Stephen Lushington until 1807, when George Canning
, the celebrated Statesman, acquired the property. He was Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs under Foreign Secretary William Pitt
, and both Prime Minister
and Chancellor of the Exchequer
at the time of his death in 1827. Sir John Soane
modified the house during this time.
The Earls of Limerick
were the next owners, around the time of the Easthampstead Enclosure Award of 1827. Kelly's Post Office Directory for Berkshire
shows that Sir James Matheson was in residence in 1847, and in 1853 he sold the estate to Sir William Goodenough Hayter, son of the Judge Advocate General. In 1868, South Hill Park was referred to in Cassey's Directory as "one of the principal mansions in the neighbourhood of Easthampstead" - and as the residence of the Right Honourable Sir William Goodenough Hayter, Bart
, Q.C., J.P.
, D.L.. Sir William's busy political career apparently made him somewhat depressed, and he was found drowned in South Hill Park lake in 1878.
Kelly's Directory
of 1883 contains a description of South Hill Park, referring to it as the seat of Lady Hayter, "a compact residence of brick faced with cement, standing in a park of 800 acres (323.7 ha) in which there are four lakes; the private gardens are very beautiful, being laid out in terraces".
Sir William Hayter's son, Sir Arthur Divett Hayter
, born in 1835, rebuilt most of the mansion towards the end of the 19th century, in brick and Bath stone
, incorporating one wing of the original house.
Due to a fire towards the end of the 19th century, the house is considered haunted, especially the modern Studio Theatre area which is located on the site of the nursery. The supposed hauntings are by two children who died when the nursery caught alight.
In the grounds of South Hill Park a plaque records the planting of a tree by William Ewart Gladstone
in 1893. Architect Temple Moore (1856–1920) was commissioned to remodel the house in 1891 and the hard landscaping near the house in 1893. Moore was primarily seen as a church architect and in his previous church commissions were mostly designed in the prevailing Gothic Revival style but he also included Baroque
details.
Sir Arthur became Baron Haversham
in 1906. Haversham Drive, in the Easthampstead neighbourhood of Bracknell
, has been named after him.
The staff at the time consisted of three footmen, three housemaids, one lady's maid, one housekeeper, one butler, one valet, labourers, gamekeepers, scullery maids and kitchen maids. The Haversham Coat of Arms
can be seen over the main entrance of the building and is described as "azure and escallop between three bulls' heads couped or". The crest surmounting the coat of arms also shows a bull's head and gold shells.
Lord Haversham died on 10 May 1917. Lady Haversham was still in residence in 1920 when she erected a marble tablet in Easthampstead
Parish Church as a memorial to 62 men connected with the Parish who lost their lives in the 1914-18 war.
After the death of Lady Haversham in 1929, leaving no direct heir, the house passed into the hands of Major Rickman O.B.E., Lady Haversham's nephew, who was the last person to own and live in it as one house and is best known for shooting himself in the Gun Room in 1940.
During the First World War (1939–45) the house was occupied by the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, evacuated from Margate. In the late 1940s it was converted into five luxury flats with the main reception being common to all.
From 1953 the house was owned by the BBC
, who converted parts into studios and acoustically treated some of the rooms.
In 1963 South Hill Park was included in an extension of the new town
designated area of Bracknell and the Bracknell Development Corporation acquired the property. The house was let in 1965 to Ferranti
Limited, who used it as offices and laboratories until early 1972.
In 1972 a proposal to convert the house into an Arts Centre
with an additional theatre was agreed, with the intention that the immediate surrounding gardens, lawns, trees and two lakes would be preserved. The South Hill Park Trust was established and the South Hill Park Arts Centre opened in October 1973.
on 15 May 1984 which due to the local association with Oscar Wilde
was named after him and the first performance being The Importance of Being Earnest
.
A new Dance Studio and Bar extension, along with additional dressing rooms, rehearsal and storage space, were added to the theatre in 1988 and 1989.
The Bracknell Gallery opened in 1991 as a result of these developments, and now presents a regular programme of contemporary visual art, crafts and live art. The art centre also organises exhibitions in the Mansion Space Galleries.
In 2004, the Digital Media Centre opened allowing an inventive digital media programme to add a modern dynamic to the venue programme, thanks to the support of local businessman, John Nike. In 2011, South Hill Park underwent a £4.4 million restoration of its historic grounds funded with a lottery grant.
South Hill Park today is a prominent centre for the arts within the South East region and nationally. The multi award winning actress Kate Winslet
, who is also a Patron of the centre, has said of it The Wilde Theatre has been a wonderful home for theatre arts since it opened more than 25 years ago... This amazing centre does so much for its local community The centre’s other Patrons are the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion
and multi award winning actor Kenneth Branagh
.
South Hill Park has a varied programme of events which includes theatre, dance, music, exhibitions, comedy, live art, festivals and cinema for all age groups, featuring a range of personalities from the internationally renowned to emerging new talents. It is open 364 days a year and presents approximately 3,000 events annually.
It has four associate theatre companies who tour work nationally - Blackeyed Theatre, Icarus Theatre Collective
, Original Theatre Company and Peut-être. It has two associate dance companies who also tour nationally - James Wilton and Jean Abreu Dance.
It houses five artists in residence covering different disciplines - ceramicist Adam Marsh, Jewellers Machi de Waard and Bev Bartlett, printmakers Chris Smith and Holly Drewett. It hosts the annual ‘Rules and Regs’ live art residency and presents annually over 20 curated exhibitions of visual, sound and live art and crafts.
South Hill Park runs an extensive programme of courses in the arts - over 2000 annually, alongside around 250 individual workshops.
It is a registered charity and its activity attracts an average 250,000 visitors a year.
In the 2011, Arts Council England National Portfolio review of funded organisations, the Centre was not included in the selection of organisations judged to be of regionally strategic significance. Arts Council England funding is to be withdrawn completely from April 2013. Amid harsh criticism, the management is faced with the task of attempting to find a new direction and transform the organisation into a more commercial and financially sustainable enterprise.
Birch Hill
Birch Hill is a southern suburb of Bracknell, originally part of the now-defunct civil parish of Easthampstead, in the English county of Berkshire....
estate to the south of Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
town centre, in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England.
History
The original South Hill Park mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
was built in 1760 for William Watts
William Watts
William Watts was chief of the Kasimbazar factory of the British East India Company. He lived in Bengal, and he was proficient in Bangla, Hindustani and Persian languages.-Career:...
for his retirement from service as a senior official of the Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
Government. The house was originally on two floors, built in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
manner, decorated with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, with a front entrance and tower in the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style. The grounds included 30 acres (12.1 ha) of common land, which William Watts enclosed. In return he built almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s on a site opposite Easthampstead
Easthampstead
Easthampstead is today a southern suburb of the town of Bracknell in the English county of Berkshire, although the old village can still be easily identified around the Church of St Michael and St Mary Magdalene...
Parish Church about half a mile away. The almshouses were eventually demolished by order of the Marquess of Downshire
Marquess of Downshire
Marquess of Downshire is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1789 for Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, a former Secretary of State....
in 1826.
After his death, the Honourable Henry Bouverie
Henry Bouverie
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Frederick Bouverie GCB GCMG was a British Army officer. He was Governor of Malta from 1836 to 1843.He was the son of Edward Bouverie MP, of Delapré Abbey in Northamptonshire, and his wife, Harriet, the only daughter and sole heiress of Sir Everard Fawkener; and nephew...
lived in the house until 1787 and was followed by Sir Stephen Lushington until 1807, when George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
, the celebrated Statesman, acquired the property. He was Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs under Foreign Secretary William Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
, and both Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
at the time of his death in 1827. Sir John Soane
John Soane
Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...
modified the house during this time.
The Earls of Limerick
Earl of Limerick
Earl of Limerick is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The earldom was created for the first time in 1686 for Sir William Dongan, 4th Baronet, with remainder, failing male issue of his own, to his brothers Robert, Michael and Thomas and the heirs male of their bodies...
were the next owners, around the time of the Easthampstead Enclosure Award of 1827. Kelly's Post Office Directory for Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
shows that Sir James Matheson was in residence in 1847, and in 1853 he sold the estate to Sir William Goodenough Hayter, son of the Judge Advocate General. In 1868, South Hill Park was referred to in Cassey's Directory as "one of the principal mansions in the neighbourhood of Easthampstead" - and as the residence of the Right Honourable Sir William Goodenough Hayter, Bart
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, Q.C., J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, D.L.. Sir William's busy political career apparently made him somewhat depressed, and he was found drowned in South Hill Park lake in 1878.
Kelly's Directory
Kelly's Directory
Kelly's Directory was a trade directory in the United Kingdom that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses of local gentry, landowners, charities, and other facilities. In effect, it was a Victorian version of today's...
of 1883 contains a description of South Hill Park, referring to it as the seat of Lady Hayter, "a compact residence of brick faced with cement, standing in a park of 800 acres (323.7 ha) in which there are four lakes; the private gardens are very beautiful, being laid out in terraces".
Sir William Hayter's son, Sir Arthur Divett Hayter
Arthur Hayter, 1st Baron Haversham
Arthur Divett Hayter, 1st Baron Haversham PC , known as Sir Arthur Hayter, Bt, from 1878 to 1906, was a British Liberal politician...
, born in 1835, rebuilt most of the mansion towards the end of the 19th century, in brick and Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
, incorporating one wing of the original house.
Due to a fire towards the end of the 19th century, the house is considered haunted, especially the modern Studio Theatre area which is located on the site of the nursery. The supposed hauntings are by two children who died when the nursery caught alight.
In the grounds of South Hill Park a plaque records the planting of a tree by William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
in 1893. Architect Temple Moore (1856–1920) was commissioned to remodel the house in 1891 and the hard landscaping near the house in 1893. Moore was primarily seen as a church architect and in his previous church commissions were mostly designed in the prevailing Gothic Revival style but he also included Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
details.
Sir Arthur became Baron Haversham
Baron Haversham
Baron Haversham is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Both creations are extinct. The first creation came on 4 May 1696, when John Thompson was created Baron Haversham, of Haversham in the County of Buckingham, in the...
in 1906. Haversham Drive, in the Easthampstead neighbourhood of Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
, has been named after him.
The staff at the time consisted of three footmen, three housemaids, one lady's maid, one housekeeper, one butler, one valet, labourers, gamekeepers, scullery maids and kitchen maids. The Haversham Coat of Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
can be seen over the main entrance of the building and is described as "azure and escallop between three bulls' heads couped or". The crest surmounting the coat of arms also shows a bull's head and gold shells.
Lord Haversham died on 10 May 1917. Lady Haversham was still in residence in 1920 when she erected a marble tablet in Easthampstead
Easthampstead
Easthampstead is today a southern suburb of the town of Bracknell in the English county of Berkshire, although the old village can still be easily identified around the Church of St Michael and St Mary Magdalene...
Parish Church as a memorial to 62 men connected with the Parish who lost their lives in the 1914-18 war.
After the death of Lady Haversham in 1929, leaving no direct heir, the house passed into the hands of Major Rickman O.B.E., Lady Haversham's nephew, who was the last person to own and live in it as one house and is best known for shooting himself in the Gun Room in 1940.
During the First World War (1939–45) the house was occupied by the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, evacuated from Margate. In the late 1940s it was converted into five luxury flats with the main reception being common to all.
From 1953 the house was owned by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, who converted parts into studios and acoustically treated some of the rooms.
In 1963 South Hill Park was included in an extension of the new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
designated area of Bracknell and the Bracknell Development Corporation acquired the property. The house was let in 1965 to Ferranti
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
Limited, who used it as offices and laboratories until early 1972.
In 1972 a proposal to convert the house into an Arts Centre
Arts centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for musical performance, workshop areas, educational...
with an additional theatre was agreed, with the intention that the immediate surrounding gardens, lawns, trees and two lakes would be preserved. The South Hill Park Trust was established and the South Hill Park Arts Centre opened in October 1973.
Wilde Theatre and later phases
Before being completed in 1984, the 330 seat Wilde Theatre was first proposed after South Hill Park became an arts centre, and has since drawn many people to the area. The Wilde Theatre was officially opened by The Princess AnneAnne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
on 15 May 1984 which due to the local association with Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
was named after him and the first performance being The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
.
A new Dance Studio and Bar extension, along with additional dressing rooms, rehearsal and storage space, were added to the theatre in 1988 and 1989.
The Bracknell Gallery opened in 1991 as a result of these developments, and now presents a regular programme of contemporary visual art, crafts and live art. The art centre also organises exhibitions in the Mansion Space Galleries.
South Hill Park Arts Centre today
In 2002 South Hill Park underwent its most recent transformation, successfully applying to the Arts Council of England National Lottery Board and gaining £3 million combined with £1 million from Bracknell Forest Borough Council. These funds allowed the Mansion spaces to re-develop and focus on artistic activity. New studios were created for ceramics, printmaking, silversmithing and fine arts to complement the existing theatres, gallery, dance studio, cinema, recital room and cellar stage. The Atrium bar was opened, allowing food and drink to be served alongside the art and music performances. The artist Martin Donlin created several artworks to the celebrate the new building.In 2004, the Digital Media Centre opened allowing an inventive digital media programme to add a modern dynamic to the venue programme, thanks to the support of local businessman, John Nike. In 2011, South Hill Park underwent a £4.4 million restoration of its historic grounds funded with a lottery grant.
South Hill Park today is a prominent centre for the arts within the South East region and nationally. The multi award winning actress Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
, who is also a Patron of the centre, has said of it The Wilde Theatre has been a wonderful home for theatre arts since it opened more than 25 years ago... This amazing centre does so much for its local community The centre’s other Patrons are the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion
Andrew Motion
Sir Andrew Motion, FRSL is an English poet, novelist and biographer, who presided as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.- Life and career :...
and multi award winning actor Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
.
South Hill Park has a varied programme of events which includes theatre, dance, music, exhibitions, comedy, live art, festivals and cinema for all age groups, featuring a range of personalities from the internationally renowned to emerging new talents. It is open 364 days a year and presents approximately 3,000 events annually.
It has four associate theatre companies who tour work nationally - Blackeyed Theatre, Icarus Theatre Collective
Icarus Theatre Collective
The Icarus Theatre Collective is a British theatre company, set up to explore the brutal side of contemporary and classical drama.-Background:...
, Original Theatre Company and Peut-être. It has two associate dance companies who also tour nationally - James Wilton and Jean Abreu Dance.
It houses five artists in residence covering different disciplines - ceramicist Adam Marsh, Jewellers Machi de Waard and Bev Bartlett, printmakers Chris Smith and Holly Drewett. It hosts the annual ‘Rules and Regs’ live art residency and presents annually over 20 curated exhibitions of visual, sound and live art and crafts.
South Hill Park runs an extensive programme of courses in the arts - over 2000 annually, alongside around 250 individual workshops.
It is a registered charity and its activity attracts an average 250,000 visitors a year.
In the 2011, Arts Council England National Portfolio review of funded organisations, the Centre was not included in the selection of organisations judged to be of regionally strategic significance. Arts Council England funding is to be withdrawn completely from April 2013. Amid harsh criticism, the management is faced with the task of attempting to find a new direction and transform the organisation into a more commercial and financially sustainable enterprise.