Wotton House
Encyclopedia
Wotton House, or Wotton, the manor house
in Wotton Underwood
(Buckinghamshire, UK), was rebuilt from the ground up between 1704 and 1714, to a design very similar to that of the contemporary version of Buckingham House, as it is known from engravings. Later radically altered, the house is nevertheless considered a fine example of English Baroque
and a Grade I listed building.
After a fire gutted the main house in 1820 it was rebuilt in 1821–22. When the last direct Grenville male heir died in 1899 the house went into decline. By the end of World War II the estate had been sold off in penny packets and the main house was close to derelict.
The stable block was purchased and has had a number of notable owners, and is currently owned by Mr and Mrs Tony Blair
. The main house was saved from demolition when Mrs Elaine Brunner purchase it and started the long process of restoring it.
, the politician who served as Prime Minister between 1763 and 1765. It was rebuilt from the ground up between 1704 and 1714, to a design very similar to that of the contemporary version of Buckingham House, as it is known from engravings. The architect is unknown, but John Fitch and Elizabeth Wilbraham have been suggested.
A fire destroyed the content of the house in 1820. The only remaining Queen Anne buildings, after the main house had been gutted, were what used to be the stable and the kitchen wings. John Soane
was employed to restore the main block in 1821–22. He reduced its height, giving an impression of increased width, and made inventive use of the existing rooms, in particular creating a two-storey, top-lit entrance hall.
Sir Richard Grenville inherited in 1726 the estate at Wotton that yielded rental income of over £3000 per annum. At Wotton Capability Brown
received his earliest employment in the south of England, 1739, in the kitchen garden of Sir Richard, who passed him, with high recommendation, to his son-in-law, Lord Cobham
of Stowe, Bucks.
, where Brown first gained his fame. A bridge was designed for George Grenville by the gentleman architect Sanderson Miller
in 1758; Miller's correspondence shows that he also designed an Octagon Seat and advised on other improvements, including the grotto
.
In April 1786 John Adams
(the future second President of the United States on tour with Thomas Jefferson
—who would serve as his vice president before becoming President himself) spent a few days visiting some stately homes to the north west of London, one of those they visited was Wotton. On their return to London Adams wrote "Stowe
, Hagley
, and Blenheim
, are superb; Woburn
, Caversham
, and the Leasowes
are beautiful. Wotton is both great and elegant, though neglected".
With its Soane interiors Wotton had a succession of Grenville occupiers until 1889, when the last direct male heir died, and thenceforward neglected down through the Second World War (when it was not requisitioned), but it was put up for sale shortly thereafter. After the war much of the grounds were sold in small parcels and in the early 1950s the building was used by a boys' boarding school called Cokethorpe Grammar, which closed suddenly in 1953.
Brunner supervised extensive restoration work on the house as Soane had restore it, but included a division of the interior of the house into flats—a novel solution at the time she carried out the house's renovation. The income generated from the letting of the flats helped pay for further renovation. Once the house renovation of the house was nearing completion, Brunner started work on the grounds which were restored to follow the patterns laid out by Capability Brown
. By the time she died in 1998, the restoration of the house and the grounds was nearing completion with only Soane's great entrance dome still to be added to the house and the opening up of vistas in the park still to be done.
The house passed to April, Brunner's daughter and her husband David Gladstone. The grounds are open to the public at least one day a week during the summer months, but viewing of the house is by appointment only.
In 2007 David Gladstone held a conference at Wotton on who could have been the original architect of the house. The conference generated at least two follow up papers: Howard Colvin (2010) proposed that John Fitch may have been the original architect, and later the same year John Millar (2010) proposed that it may have been Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632–1705).
The South Pavilion was in a neglected state. Tristram Gilbert and Andre DuGuay restored both from about 1957 and lived there until about 1965. The walled garden was opened to the public. Because of their beauty and amazing acoustics,there were plans to use them for outdoor opera. They were then sold to Sir Arthur Bryant
, the historian, then to Sir John Gielgud
who, photographs show,further restored the South Pavilion from something of great beauty to something even greater. Gielgud died there. In 2008 it was bought by Tony
and Cherie Blair
for £4m.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
in Wotton Underwood
Wotton Underwood
Wotton Underwood is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale District of Buckinghamshire, about north of Thame in neighbouring Oxfordshire....
(Buckinghamshire, UK), was rebuilt from the ground up between 1704 and 1714, to a design very similar to that of the contemporary version of Buckingham House, as it is known from engravings. Later radically altered, the house is nevertheless considered a fine example of English Baroque
English Baroque
English Baroque is a term sometimes used to refer to the developments in English architecture that were parallel to the evolution of Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London and the Treaty of Utrecht ....
and a Grade I listed building.
After a fire gutted the main house in 1820 it was rebuilt in 1821–22. When the last direct Grenville male heir died in 1899 the house went into decline. By the end of World War II the estate had been sold off in penny packets and the main house was close to derelict.
The stable block was purchased and has had a number of notable owners, and is currently owned by Mr and Mrs Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. The main house was saved from demolition when Mrs Elaine Brunner purchase it and started the long process of restoring it.
History
Since the twelfth century the manor house had been the principal seat of the Grenville family, a notable member of whom was George GrenvilleGeorge Grenville
George Grenville was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham...
, the politician who served as Prime Minister between 1763 and 1765. It was rebuilt from the ground up between 1704 and 1714, to a design very similar to that of the contemporary version of Buckingham House, as it is known from engravings. The architect is unknown, but John Fitch and Elizabeth Wilbraham have been suggested.
A fire destroyed the content of the house in 1820. The only remaining Queen Anne buildings, after the main house had been gutted, were what used to be the stable and the kitchen wings. 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...
was employed to restore the main block in 1821–22. He reduced its height, giving an impression of increased width, and made inventive use of the existing rooms, in particular creating a two-storey, top-lit entrance hall.
Sir Richard Grenville inherited in 1726 the estate at Wotton that yielded rental income of over £3000 per annum. At Wotton Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
received his earliest employment in the south of England, 1739, in the kitchen garden of Sir Richard, who passed him, with high recommendation, to his son-in-law, Lord Cobham
Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham
Field Marshal Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham PC was a British soldier and Whig politician. He was known for his ownership of and modifications to the estate at Stowe and for serving as a political mentor to the young William Pitt.-Early life:Temple was the son of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd...
of Stowe, Bucks.
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
, where Brown first gained his fame. A bridge was designed for George Grenville by the gentleman architect Sanderson Miller
Sanderson Miller
Sanderson Miller was a pioneer of Gothic revival architecture, and a landscape designer who often added follies or other Picturesque garden buildings and features to the grounds of an estate....
in 1758; Miller's correspondence shows that he also designed an Octagon Seat and advised on other improvements, including the grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
.
In April 1786 John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
(the future second President of the United States on tour with Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
—who would serve as his vice president before becoming President himself) spent a few days visiting some stately homes to the north west of London, one of those they visited was Wotton. On their return to London Adams wrote "Stowe
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
, Hagley
Hagley Hall
Hagley Hall is an 18th century house in Hagley, Worcestershire. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton , secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer...
, and Blenheim
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
, are superb; Woburn
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
, Caversham
Caversham Park
Caversham Park is a Victorian stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham, on the outskirts of Reading, England. Historically it was in Oxfordshire, but since 1911 it has been in Berkshire.-Early History:...
, and the Leasowes
The Leasowes
The Leasowes is a 57 hectare estate in Halesowen, historically in the county of Shropshire, England, comprising house and gardens....
are beautiful. Wotton is both great and elegant, though neglected".
With its Soane interiors Wotton had a succession of Grenville occupiers until 1889, when the last direct male heir died, and thenceforward neglected down through the Second World War (when it was not requisitioned), but it was put up for sale shortly thereafter. After the war much of the grounds were sold in small parcels and in the early 1950s the building was used by a boys' boarding school called Cokethorpe Grammar, which closed suddenly in 1953.
Restoration of the main house
Mrs Elaine Brunner purchased the main house and the substantial grounds to the front and rear from Buckinghamshire County Council for £6,000 in 1957. Before her purchase the Council had intended to sell only the stable block because the house stripped of its Queen Anne features was deemed to be near unsellable and had been scheduled for demolition.Brunner supervised extensive restoration work on the house as Soane had restore it, but included a division of the interior of the house into flats—a novel solution at the time she carried out the house's renovation. The income generated from the letting of the flats helped pay for further renovation. Once the house renovation of the house was nearing completion, Brunner started work on the grounds which were restored to follow the patterns laid out by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
. By the time she died in 1998, the restoration of the house and the grounds was nearing completion with only Soane's great entrance dome still to be added to the house and the opening up of vistas in the park still to be done.
The house passed to April, Brunner's daughter and her husband David Gladstone. The grounds are open to the public at least one day a week during the summer months, but viewing of the house is by appointment only.
In 2007 David Gladstone held a conference at Wotton on who could have been the original architect of the house. The conference generated at least two follow up papers: Howard Colvin (2010) proposed that John Fitch may have been the original architect, and later the same year John Millar (2010) proposed that it may have been Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632–1705).
Conversion of the stable block into the South Pavilion
The Queen Anne stable block (later re-christened the South Pavilion) and the walled formal garden were purchased by Tristram Gilbert and Andre DuGuay shortly before Elaine Brunner purchased the main house. Weeds and brambles had so overtaken the walled garden that it was invisible.The South Pavilion was in a neglected state. Tristram Gilbert and Andre DuGuay restored both from about 1957 and lived there until about 1965. The walled garden was opened to the public. Because of their beauty and amazing acoustics,there were plans to use them for outdoor opera. They were then sold to Sir Arthur Bryant
Arthur Bryant
Sir Arthur Wynne Morgan Bryant, CH, CBE , was a British historian and a columnist for the Illustrated London News. His books included studies of Samuel Pepys, accounts of English eighteenth- and nineteenth-century history, and a life of George V...
, the historian, then to Sir John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
who, photographs show,further restored the South Pavilion from something of great beauty to something even greater. Gielgud died there. In 2008 it was bought by Tony
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Cherie Blair
Cherie Blair
Cherie Blair , known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is a British barrister working in the legal system of England and Wales. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; the couple have three sons and one daughter...
for £4m.