Tottenham House
Encyclopedia
Tottenham House is a large Grade I listed country house at Great Bedwyn
, Wiltshire
, England
.
The house, which has more than one hundred rooms, stands in Savernake Forest
and belongs to the Marquess of Ailesbury
. Most of the present building, built for the first Marquess, dates from the 1820s, but it also incorporates parts of earlier houses on the site.
For much of the 20th century, the house was rented to Hawtreys Preparatory School
. The school buildings were requisitioned by the War Office
during the Second World War, but after it the school returned. In the 1990s, Hawtreys merged with Cheam School
.
The house was then leased for ten years to a charity called the Amber Foundation which helped troubled teenagers, but this work ended due to cuts in the British government's Supporting People programme.
In 2006, Tottenham House, with its stable block, outbuildings and some farmland, was leased for 150 years to a consortium of Euro Property Holdings, Conduit Investments and the Buena Vista Hospitality Group of Tampa
, Florida
, to become a luxury hotel and golfing centre. An investment in the project of £50 million was announced. However the project was delayed by the economic downturn, and it is not known if or when it will be completed.
Tottenham House was temporarily converted into a recording studio by Radiohead
, for the recording of their album In Rainbows
.
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire.-Location:Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about south-west of Hungerford and south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the West of England Main Line railway follow the Dun and pass...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, 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...
.
History
Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest is on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately .It is privately owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate, the Earl of Cardigan, and his family solicitor. Since 1939 the running of the forest has been...
and belongs to the Marquess of Ailesbury
Marquess of Ailesbury
Marquess of Ailesbury is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 17 July 1821 for Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury....
. Most of the present building, built for the first Marquess, dates from the 1820s, but it also incorporates parts of earlier houses on the site.
For much of the 20th century, the house was rented to Hawtreys Preparatory School
Hawtreys
Hawtreys Preparatory School was an independent boys' preparatory school, first established in Slough, later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to a country house near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire...
. The school buildings were requisitioned by the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
during the Second World War, but after it the school returned. In the 1990s, Hawtreys merged with Cheam School
Cheam School
Cheam School is a preparatory school in Headley in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in the English county of Hampshire. It was founded in 1645 by the Reverend George Aldrich in Cheam, Surrey and has been in operation ever since....
.
The house was then leased for ten years to a charity called the Amber Foundation which helped troubled teenagers, but this work ended due to cuts in the British government's Supporting People programme.
In 2006, Tottenham House, with its stable block, outbuildings and some farmland, was leased for 150 years to a consortium of Euro Property Holdings, Conduit Investments and the Buena Vista Hospitality Group of Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, to become a luxury hotel and golfing centre. An investment in the project of £50 million was announced. However the project was delayed by the economic downturn, and it is not known if or when it will be completed.
Tottenham House was temporarily converted into a recording studio by Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, for the recording of their album In Rainbows
In Rainbows
In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was first released on 10 October 2007 as a digital download self-released, that customers could order for whatever price they saw fit, followed by a standard CD release in most countries during the last week of 2007. The...
.