Swakeleys House
Encyclopedia
Swakeleys House is a Grade I listed 17th-century Jacobean
mansion in Ickenham
, London Borough of Hillingdon
, built in 1638 for the future Lord Mayor of London, Sir Edmund Wright. Originally the home of the lords of the manor of Swakeleys, writer Samuel Pepys
later visited the house twice. The property changed hands many times over the years and at one time was home to the Foreign & Commonweath Office Sports Association. Large sections of the grounds were sold off in 1922 and later developed into housing.
Following a long period of decline, the house was purchased by a group of local residents and restored in the 1980s whereafter it was leased for office space. It has become a focal point for Ickenham during the biennial Ickenham Festival when the grounds are used to host the main gala day, and is open once a year to the public as part of Open House London
.
in 1485, while fighting on the side of Richard III
. The victor of the battle, Henry VII
subsequently granted Charlton's widow a life interest in the manor, although he gave possession to Sir Thomas Bourchier
. The Bourchiers later passed Swakeleys to Sir John Pecche, from whom it then passed to the Earl of Devon
, Henry Courteney
, then Ralph Pexall.
Built for Sir Edmund Wright, who would become Lord Mayor of London
in 1640, today's brick structure dates to between 1629 and 1638. In 1629, Wright purchased the grounds from John Bingley, who had undertaken extensive remedial work on an existing 13th century structure in the grounds—probably timber-framed and wattle
filled. Bingley's alterations were said to have been detrimental to the condition of the house and grounds. He was accused of driving away almost all the birds in the dovehouse, and of pulling up many healthy fruit-bearing trees from the orchard. The house had a moat, which Bingley filled in, believing the water to be unhealthy, at which point he also had a defensive brick wall built around the house.
The house is built in an "H" shape with a central section flanked by four projecting wings. Swakeleys was built of English Bond brick, with its windows framed with stone. Several of the exterior rain-water heads show the year construction was completed along with the initials "E.W." for Sir Edmund Wright. To the west of the house, a large lawn stretches out to what is now known as Swakeleys Lake. The main routes leading to the house have since become the residential streets Swakeleys Road (then Back Lane), The Grove and The Avenue.
Inside, the main staircase is made of oak, and the fireplaces of marble. The 42 feet (12.8 m) long by 23 feet (7 m) wide Great Chamber, also known as the Ball Room and the Long Gallery, originally had a pinewood floor. This was covered by new flooring after it became worn over time. The room is 16 feet (4.9 m) high, with the ceiling arranged in fifteen panels. Within the room is a wooden screen made for Sir James Harrington in 1655 by woodcarver John Colt and painted to resemble stone. On top of the screen sits a bust of Charles I
flanked by two lions. In the Dining Room, the panelling is believed to be from the original house, which Sir Edmund was so impressed by that he had it incorporated into the new building.
Samuel Pepys visited the house in 1665 and noted some of its features, particularly the busts of Charles I, Lord Essex
and Lord Fairfax
and described the house as "a very pleasant place". He visited the house twice to collect money on behalf of Charles II
from Sir Robert Vyner who was a well-known goldsmith. On one occasion, Sir Robert showed Pepys the body of a black boy who had worked at the house and died of tuberculosis
. The body had been dried in an oven and kept in an open coffin and was then displayed to visitors. Sir Robert later became Lord Mayor of London in 1674. After the house became empty in 1923, workmen unsealed a cupboard near the servants' quarters where it was believed the body was stored, though they found no trace of it.
Pepys wrote of his first visit:
Sir Robert died in 1688, when Swakeleys passed to his nephew Thomas Vyner, whose son Robert sold it to Benjamin Lethiullier in 1741 on behalf of his sister-in-law's son Benjamin. In 1750, Lethiullier's son sold the house to the Reverend Thomas Clarke, at that time rector
of Ickenham. Clarke's son Thomas Truesdale Clarke succeeded his father in ownership of the house in 1796. He was later found drowned in the River Pinn
, which ran through the Swakeleys estate. Although the river was only 20 inches (50.8 cm) deep, it was enough to cover his face and therefore cause drowning. An inquest was held which refused to return a suicide verdict as the coroner believed such a ruling would stigmatise the Clarke family.
Edward Walford also wrote about Swakeleys House in 1893, when he described it as "the most interesting Jacobean house in the whole county of Middlesex. The gardens are quaint and trim, laid out in something of the old-fashioned style and a long avenue of elms adorns the front of the house to the south." The avenue was developed as the residential road The Grove, though the elms were killed by Dutch elm disease
in the 1960s.
While Albert Gilbey was the main tenant of the house in the 1890s, the All England Croquet
Championships were held in the grounds. Gilbey later became High Sheriff of Middlesex
in 1912. The estate became significantly smaller following the disposal of 1382 acres (559.3 ha) of the estate for development at an auction on 5 July 1922. Warren Road, Swakeleys Drive, Court Road, Milton Road, Ivy House Road, The Avenue and Thornhill Road (originally named Park Road) were constructed while other land bordering the River Pinn
was designated as public open land. Humphrey John Talbot bought the house to avoid it being demolished and eventually sold it to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Sports Association in 1927, upon the condition he could remain as a tenant on the first floor. Swakeleys was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War when a searchlight battery operated within the grounds. The Foreign Office retained the house until 1955 when it was sold to the London Postal Region Sports Club. The club staged cricket matches with local teams from Ickenham and Uxbridge
.
company and the house was opened to the public for three days a year. HRH Prince Philip
the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the newly refurbished house on 7 May 1985. Swakeleys House Ltd went on to win the 1988 Country House Award for best conversion of a listed country house.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb lease expired in 2009 and Swakeleys was sold to new owners who wished to reduce public access to one day a year, as part of Open House London
. This new proposal was accepted by the London Borough of Hillingdon
in June 2010.
The grounds of the house are used to stage the gala day and evening events of the Ickenham Festival.
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
mansion in Ickenham
Ickenham
Ickenham is a suburban area centred on an old village in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered during archaeological surveys, and the...
, London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
, built in 1638 for the future Lord Mayor of London, Sir Edmund Wright. Originally the home of the lords of the manor of Swakeleys, writer Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
later visited the house twice. The property changed hands many times over the years and at one time was home to the Foreign & Commonweath Office Sports Association. Large sections of the grounds were sold off in 1922 and later developed into housing.
Following a long period of decline, the house was purchased by a group of local residents and restored in the 1980s whereafter it was leased for office space. It has become a focal point for Ickenham during the biennial Ickenham Festival when the grounds are used to host the main gala day, and is open once a year to the public as part of Open House London
Open House London
Open House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public. It organises tours, lectures, educational projects for children and so on, but it is best known for Open House Weekend, a two-day event which takes place on one weekend each September throughout...
.
Construction
The manor of Swakeleys was named after Robert Swalcliffe, 14th century owner of the manor, who is also recorded as "Swalcleve". John Charlton later took ownership of Swakeleys but a relative of his was subsequently killed during the Battle of Bosworth FieldBattle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
in 1485, while fighting on the side of Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. The victor of the battle, Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
subsequently granted Charlton's widow a life interest in the manor, although he gave possession to Sir Thomas Bourchier
Thomas Bourchier
Thomas Bourchier was an English archbishop, Lord Chancellor and cardinal.-Life:Bourchier was a younger son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu , and through his mother, Anne of Gloucester, a daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, was a grandson of King Edward III of England. One of his brothers was...
. The Bourchiers later passed Swakeleys to Sir John Pecche, from whom it then passed to the Earl of Devon
Earl of Devon
The title of Earl of Devon was created several times in the Peerage of England, and was possessed first by the de Redvers family, and later by the Courtenays...
, Henry Courteney
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York, and grandson of King Edward IV of England.He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay...
, then Ralph Pexall.
Built for Sir Edmund Wright, who would become Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1640, today's brick structure dates to between 1629 and 1638. In 1629, Wright purchased the grounds from John Bingley, who had undertaken extensive remedial work on an existing 13th century structure in the grounds—probably timber-framed and wattle
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
filled. Bingley's alterations were said to have been detrimental to the condition of the house and grounds. He was accused of driving away almost all the birds in the dovehouse, and of pulling up many healthy fruit-bearing trees from the orchard. The house had a moat, which Bingley filled in, believing the water to be unhealthy, at which point he also had a defensive brick wall built around the house.
The house is built in an "H" shape with a central section flanked by four projecting wings. Swakeleys was built of English Bond brick, with its windows framed with stone. Several of the exterior rain-water heads show the year construction was completed along with the initials "E.W." for Sir Edmund Wright. To the west of the house, a large lawn stretches out to what is now known as Swakeleys Lake. The main routes leading to the house have since become the residential streets Swakeleys Road (then Back Lane), The Grove and The Avenue.
Inside, the main staircase is made of oak, and the fireplaces of marble. The 42 feet (12.8 m) long by 23 feet (7 m) wide Great Chamber, also known as the Ball Room and the Long Gallery, originally had a pinewood floor. This was covered by new flooring after it became worn over time. The room is 16 feet (4.9 m) high, with the ceiling arranged in fifteen panels. Within the room is a wooden screen made for Sir James Harrington in 1655 by woodcarver John Colt and painted to resemble stone. On top of the screen sits a bust of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
flanked by two lions. In the Dining Room, the panelling is believed to be from the original house, which Sir Edmund was so impressed by that he had it incorporated into the new building.
Subsequent ownership
Wright's son-in-law Sir James Harrington took over ownership from Sir Edmund. Harrington was a commissioner at the trial of Charles I and fled to France in 1660 upon the restoration of the monarchy. His wife, Lady Harrington, sold the house to Sir Robert Vyner.Samuel Pepys visited the house in 1665 and noted some of its features, particularly the busts of Charles I, Lord Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
and Lord Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron was an English soldier, diplomat and politician, his title being in the Peerage of Scotland.-Life:...
and described the house as "a very pleasant place". He visited the house twice to collect money on behalf of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
from Sir Robert Vyner who was a well-known goldsmith. On one occasion, Sir Robert showed Pepys the body of a black boy who had worked at the house and died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. The body had been dried in an oven and kept in an open coffin and was then displayed to visitors. Sir Robert later became Lord Mayor of London in 1674. After the house became empty in 1923, workmen unsealed a cupboard near the servants' quarters where it was believed the body was stored, though they found no trace of it.
Pepys wrote of his first visit:
Sir Robert died in 1688, when Swakeleys passed to his nephew Thomas Vyner, whose son Robert sold it to Benjamin Lethiullier in 1741 on behalf of his sister-in-law's son Benjamin. In 1750, Lethiullier's son sold the house to the Reverend Thomas Clarke, at that time rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Ickenham. Clarke's son Thomas Truesdale Clarke succeeded his father in ownership of the house in 1796. He was later found drowned in the River Pinn
River Pinn
The River Pinn is a river in West London which originates around Pinner and flows into the Frays River, which is a branch of the River Colne.-Route:...
, which ran through the Swakeleys estate. Although the river was only 20 inches (50.8 cm) deep, it was enough to cover his face and therefore cause drowning. An inquest was held which refused to return a suicide verdict as the coroner believed such a ruling would stigmatise the Clarke family.
Edward Walford also wrote about Swakeleys House in 1893, when he described it as "the most interesting Jacobean house in the whole county of Middlesex. The gardens are quaint and trim, laid out in something of the old-fashioned style and a long avenue of elms adorns the front of the house to the south." The avenue was developed as the residential road The Grove, though the elms were killed by Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
in the 1960s.
While Albert Gilbey was the main tenant of the house in the 1890s, the All England Croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
Championships were held in the grounds. Gilbey later became High Sheriff of Middlesex
High Sheriff of Middlesex
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Middlesex.-History of the office:From c.1131–1889 there was no separate sheriff for the county. By a charter of Henry I the livery of the City of London were given the right to elect two sheriffs of "London and Middlesex" on a payment of £300 per annum to...
in 1912. The estate became significantly smaller following the disposal of 1382 acres (559.3 ha) of the estate for development at an auction on 5 July 1922. Warren Road, Swakeleys Drive, Court Road, Milton Road, Ivy House Road, The Avenue and Thornhill Road (originally named Park Road) were constructed while other land bordering the River Pinn
River Pinn
The River Pinn is a river in West London which originates around Pinner and flows into the Frays River, which is a branch of the River Colne.-Route:...
was designated as public open land. Humphrey John Talbot bought the house to avoid it being demolished and eventually sold it to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
Sports Association in 1927, upon the condition he could remain as a tenant on the first floor. Swakeleys was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War when a searchlight battery operated within the grounds. The Foreign Office retained the house until 1955 when it was sold to the London Postal Region Sports Club. The club staged cricket matches with local teams from Ickenham and Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
.
Restoration
Three local residents, Keith Chamberlain, Paul Newson and Simon Kreiger, formed Swakeleys House Ltd as a non-profit company to purchase the house in 1980 following a long period of deterioration. They then restored its key features and constructed new office buildings within the grounds to help finance the restoration works. In 1984, a 25 year lease was negotiated with the Bristol-Myers SquibbBristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb , often referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical company, headquartered in New York City. The company was formed in 1989, following the merger of its predecessors Bristol-Myers and the Squibb Corporation...
company and the house was opened to the public for three days a year. HRH Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the newly refurbished house on 7 May 1985. Swakeleys House Ltd went on to win the 1988 Country House Award for best conversion of a listed country house.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb lease expired in 2009 and Swakeleys was sold to new owners who wished to reduce public access to one day a year, as part of Open House London
Open House London
Open House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public. It organises tours, lectures, educational projects for children and so on, but it is best known for Open House Weekend, a two-day event which takes place on one weekend each September throughout...
. This new proposal was accepted by the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
in June 2010.
The grounds of the house are used to stage the gala day and evening events of the Ickenham Festival.
External links
- Swakeleys House - Open House
- Swakeleys House in 1928
- Swakeleys House in 1965 - Francis Frith
- Swakeleys House Bowls Club