Misplaced Pages

Tottenham House: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 02:35, 25 November 2015 editLobsterthermidor (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers43,276 edits →Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury (d.1747): added image← Previous edit Latest revision as of 02:33, 6 December 2024 edit undoCitation bot (talk | contribs)Bots5,418,080 edits Alter: pages, url. URLs might have been anonymized. Formatted dashes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Abductive | Category:Articles with empty sections from November 2024 | #UCB_Category 75/249 
(104 intermediate revisions by 48 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Country house in Wiltshire, UK}}
⚫ {{coord|51.374|-1.643|display=title|region:GB_scale:10000}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
] ]
'''Tottenham House''' is a large ] listed ] in the parish of ] in ], England, about 5 miles south-east of the town of ], from which it is separated by ], part of the Tottenham estate. The house, containing more than one hundred rooms, mostly dates from the 1820s, having then been remodelled by ], but also incorporates parts of earlier houses on the site, built by the Seymour family formerly of nearby ], about one mile to the south, also in the parish of Great Bedwyn.


'''Tottenham House''' is a large ] listed ] in the parish of ], ], about five miles southeast of the town of ]. It is separated from the town by ], which is part of the '''Tottenham Park''' estate.
==Descent==
===Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (1539-1621)===
]
It was probably ] (1539-1621), of nearby ], who in about 1575 built the first house, known as Tottenham Lodge, and enclosed its surrounding land to form a ].<ref>https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000472</ref> He was the son and heir of ] (executed 1522), brother of Queen ]. The Seymours were hereditary Wardens of Savernake Forest, which office together with most of their Wiltshire estates had been inherited by marriage to the daughter and heiress of Sir ] (died 1427), of Wulfhall, ] and hereditary Warden of the ] of ]. The house was still known as the Lodge in 1623, in which year the parish register of Great Bedwyn records the baptism of the 1st Earl's great-granddaughter Frances Seymour, the daughter of Sir ] (c.1590-1664) (later created ]), which was performed "at the Lodge in the Great Parke by Henrie Taylor, Vicar of Great Bedwin".<ref>''Collectanea Topographica Et Genealogica'', Volume 5 edited by Frederic Madden, Bulkeley Bandinel, John Gough Nichols, p.31</ref>


The site of the house was part of the much larger Savernake Forest, and in the ] was controlled by the heads of the Esturmy family. In the 15th century, the land passed by marriage to the ] of nearby ], about one mile to the south. The original house was probably built in about 1575 by ], a nephew of ], when it was known as '''Totnam Lodge'''. The present house incorporates parts of the earlier houses on the site built by the Seymours. In 1675, the estate passed to Lady Elizabeth Seymour, who married ], thus bringing the house into the Bruce family.<ref name="listing" />
===William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset (1587-1660)===
] (1587-1660), grandson, inherited the estates on the death of his grandfather the 1st Earl, his father having predeceased the latter.


In 1721, Elizabeth Seymour's son and heir, ], rebuilt Totnam Lodge to the design of his brother-in-law, the pioneering Palladian architect ], and parts of the grounds, including the kitchen garden, were laid out by ] between 1764 and about 1770, commissioned by ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Stroud |first=Dorothy |title=Capability Brown |date=1 October 1984 |publisher=] |year=1984 |isbn=9780571134052 |edition=5th |location=Boston |publication-date=1 October 1984}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Willis |first=Peter |date=1984 |title=Capability Brown's account with Drummonds Bank, 1753-1783 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/architectural-history/article/capability-browns-account-with-drummonds-bank-17531783/A7CEF9493F115486C7C306EEA038AA7D |journal=Architectural History, Volume 27: Design and Practice in British Architecture |volume=27 |pages=382–391}}</ref> The house underwent a number of further rebuilds, and the current house, containing more than one hundred rooms, mostly dates from the 1820s, having then been remodelled by ], who in 1818 (while still Earl of Aylesbury) had added a new range of stables designed by ].
===William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1652-1671)===
] (1652-1671), grandson of the 2nd Duke. He inherited at the age of 8 and died aged 19 when his heir became his uncle ] (1629-1675). However, the heir to his estates in Hampshire, namely ] (where the 1st Earl had died) and Hound, was his sister Elizabeth Seymour, wife of Thomas Bruce, 2nd earl of Ailesbury, which were soon sold in 1676 to the Marquess of Worcester.


The Bruce family lived in the house until 1946. Thereafter it was used as a ] until 1994, and then leased to a charity until 2005, after which it was unoccupied for some ten years, apart from a period in 2006, when the band ] recorded part of their album '']'' at the house. It was then leased for 150 years to a US-based consortium with the intention of creating a luxury hotel and golfing centre, but the consortium went bankrupt in 2008. In 2014, the house was sold for £11.25m to an undisclosed buyer who had plans to turn it back into a private home.<ref name=plans>{{cite web|url=https://www.marlboroughnewsonline.co.uk/features/7947-analysis-tottenham-house-development-a-win-win-decision-for-wiltshire-council|title= Analysis: Tottenham House development – a win-win decision for Wiltshire Council|work=marlboroughnewsonline|author= Tony Millett|date= 12 September 2018}}</ref>
===John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset (1629-1675)===
] (1629-1675), uncle, inherited the estate in 1671 on the death of his nephew the 3rd Duke, and in 1672 he rebuilt Tottenham Lodge and redesigned the deer park, which at that date included long tree-lined walks and a deer "chase".<ref>"Marquess of Ailesbury, 1962", quoted in</ref> The topographer ] (1626-1697) visited Wiltshire in 1672 and wrote of Wulfhall, about one mile to the south:<ref>Aubrey,John, ''An Essay Towards the Description of the North Division of Wiltshire'', 1672, (ed. Sir T. Phillipps), 1838 Edition, p.71</ref>
:"The ancient seate of the Sturmeys, which house has been much bigger, and great parte pulled downe within these 10 years to build the house of Tocknam Parke. I remember a long gallery. It was never but a timber house, ''v(ide)'' Camden. Here is a very long barne of ..... bays, and 3 porches of timber and thatcht; in this barne was the wedding kept for Queen Jane, then hung with tapistry. Hard by is Tocknam Park, which is a most parkely ground and romancy pleasant place; several walks of great lengths of trees planted. Here the Duke of Somerset hath his best seate, which is now (1672) to be made a compleat new pile of good architecture; both in the parish of Bedwyn Magna".</br>
He did not live long to enjoy his new house and died in 1675, aged 46, only three years after having started the rebuilding.


===Elizabeth Seymour=== ==Early history==
⚫ ]
The 4th Duke of Somerset was childless, and faced with the Dukedom passing by law to his first cousin once removed and ] the 5th Duke, who was seated at ] in Wiltshire, he bequeathed the ] Seymour estates to his niece Elizabeth Seymour, the wife of ] (1656-1741), and thus the Seymour estates passed to the Bruce family.


The site of Tottenham House was known by 1200 as Tottenham Wood, a part of the much larger ], and was under the control of the Esturmy family. The land passed to the ] by the marriage of Maud Esturmy to Roger II Seymour in the 15th century.<ref name="listing">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1000472 |desc=Tottenham House and Savernake Forest |access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref> It was probably ] (1539–1621), son and heir of the 1st Duke, of nearby ], who in about 1575 built the first house, known as Totnam Lodge, and enclosed its surrounding land to form a ].<ref name="listing" /> Wulfhall was partly demolished, and the building materials used to construct Tottenham House.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GbcHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA46|page=46|title=A Handbook for Travellers in Wiltshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire|author=John Murray|publisher=John Murray|date=1869}}</ref>
===Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury (d.1747)===
]
⚫ ]
] (c.1684–1748), commissioned by Charles Bruce, Viscount Bruce (1682-1747), from 1741 4th Earl of Elgin and 3rd Earl of Ailesbury]]
Elizabeth Seymour's son and heir was ] (d.1747), who in 1721 rebuilt Tottenham Lodge to the design of his brother-in-law the pioneering Palladian architect ]. ] was the executant architect.<ref>Rudolf Wittkower, in ''Architectural Journal'' '''102''' 1945, noted in Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840'', 3rd ed. 1995, ''s.v.'' "Boyle, Richard, Earl of Burlington".</ref> The 3rd Earl added wings to Burlington's block in the 1730s, and also built in 1743 a Banqueting House in the park to the design of Burlington (demolished in 1824).<ref>Colvin, "Boyle".</ref> In 1746, one year before the death of the 3rd Earl, who had no son, it was apparent that on his death the Earldom of Ailesbury would become extinct and his other Earldom of Elgin would pass to a distant cousin and ]. The former Seymour estates however he was free to dispose of as he pleased. He persuaded the king to create him ], with ] to his younger nephew Hon. ] (1739-1814), 4th son of ] (1685-1732) by his wife Elizabeth Bruce, to whom he also bequeathed his estates with the proviso that he should adopt the additional surname of Bruce, thus having created a new noble family bearing doubly the Bruce name, to continue the custodianship of the Seymour lands.


The house was still known as the Lodge in 1623, in which year the parish register of Great Bedwyn records the baptism of the 1st Earl's great-granddaughter Frances Seymour, the daughter of ] (c. 1590 – 1664) (later created ]), which was performed "at the Lodge in the Great Parke by Henrie Taylor, Vicar of Great Bedwin".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JS4EAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA21|title=Collectanea Topographica Et Genealogica |year=1838 |volume=5 |editor1= Frederic Madden |editor2=Bulkeley Bandinel |editor3=John Gough Nichols|page=31}}</ref> ] (1629–1675), an uncle, inherited the estate in 1671 on the death of his nephew the 3rd Duke, and in 1672 he rebuilt Totnam Lodge and redesigned the deer park, which at that date included long tree-lined walks and a deer ].<ref name="listing" /> The 4th Duke of Somerset bequeathed the ] Seymour estates to his niece Elizabeth Seymour, the wife of ] (1656–1741), thus passing some of the Seymour estates to the Bruce family. In 1721 Elizabeth Seymour's son and heir, ], rebuilt Totnam Lodge to the design of his brother-in-law, the pioneering Palladian architect ]. ] was the executant architect.<ref>Rudolf Wittkower, in ''Architectural Journal'' '''102''' 1945, noted in Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840'', 3rd ed. 1995, ''s.v.'' "Boyle, Richard, Earl of Burlington".</ref> The 3rd Earl added wings to Burlington's block in the 1730s, and also built in 1743 a Banqueting House in the park to the design of Burlington (demolished in 1824).<ref>Colvin, "Boyle".</ref> ] inherited the estate in 1747 from his uncle, Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury in 1747. Parts of the grounds, including the kitchen garden, were laid out by ] from 1764 to c 1770, commissioned by Thomas Brudenell-Bruce.<ref name="listing" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
===Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury (1739-1814)===
] (azure?) their fronts turned towards the ]''<ref>Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.44, Marquess of Ailesbury</ref>]]
On the Earl's death in 1747 his 8 year old nephew Thomas Brudenell duly became ], having inheited the barony, the estates and the Wardenship of Savernake Forest. In 1776 King George III created him ]. In 1814 he was succeeded by his son ] (1773-1856).


⚫ In 1818, ], 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, added stables to the design of ]. In 1823–26 he enlarged and remodelled the house, again to the designs of Thomas Cundy.<ref>Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840'', 3rd ed. 1995, ''s.v.'' "Cundy, Thomas", "Wyatville, Sir Jeffry".</ref>
===Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury (1773-1856)===

⚫ ] (1773-1856) in 1818 added stables to the design of ]. In 1821 he was granted three further titles, ], ] and ]. In 1823-26 he enlarged and re-modelled the house to the designs of ].<ref>Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840'', 3rd ed. 1995, ''s.v.'' "Cundy, Thomas", "Wyatville, Sir Jeffry".</ref>
==Description of present house==
{{Empty section|date=November 2024}}<!--how many floors? How many wings? Architectural style? How many bedrooms? Building materials?-->


==Modern use== ==Modern use==
The Ailesbury family lived there - sharing it in the Second World War with the US Army - until moving out in 1946. Thereafter it was used by Hawtreys Preparatory School until 1994 when Hawtreys merged with Cheam School, Newbury. It was then leased for ten years to a charity called the Amber Foundation which helps unemployed troubled young people to rebuild their lives, but its work there ended due to cuts in government support. The Ailesbury family lived in the house, sharing it during the Second World War with the US Army, until 1946. Thereafter it was used by ] until 1994 when Hawtreys merged with ], Newbury. It was then leased for ten years to the Amber Foundation, a charity which helped unemployed troubled young people to rebuild their lives, but its work there ended due to cuts in government support.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/mar/09/guardiansocietysupplement.socialcare|title=On the pile|last=Weaver|first=Matt|date=9 March 2005|work=The Guardian|access-date=28 March 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


In 1966, the house was designated as ],<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1183809|desc=Tottenham House|access-date=29 November 2015|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> while the small octagonal ] building (c. 1720)<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1300392|desc=Garden folly in Tottenham House deerpark|access-date=29 November 2015|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> in the deer park, and the stable block (1819)<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1365488|desc=Stable Block to Tottenham House|access-date=29 November 2015|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> were designated Grade II*.
] (born 1952) owns 49% and his son ] (born 1982), owns 51%.<ref name="natalieclarke">Natalie Clarke, , '']'', February 01, 2013</ref> In recent years, the impoverished Earl of Cardigan has been involved in a bitter battle with the trustees.<ref name="natalieclarke"/><ref name="simondebruxelles">Simon de Bruxelles, 'Penniless earl claims jobseeker's allowance after ex-wife's entire £1.5m estate goes to the children', '']'', March 07, 2013, No. 70826, p. 3</ref>


] owned 49% and his son Thomas James Brudenell-Bruce, Viscount Savernake owned 51%.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} Between 2011 and 2017, the impoverished Earl was involved in a bitter legal battle with the trustees.<ref name="simondebruxelles">Simon de Bruxelles, 'Penniless earl claims jobseeker's allowance after ex-wife's entire £1.5m estate goes to the children', '']'', March 07, 2013, No. 70826, p. 3</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/15168688.Earl_of_Cardigan_wins_High_Court_battle_to_oust_Savernake_Estate_trustees/|title=Earl of Cardigan wins High Court battle to oust Savernake Estate trustees|last=Mills|first=Richard|date=20 March 2017|website=The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald|language=en|access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref>
⚫ In 2006 the house, with its 50-horse stable block, outbuildings and some farmland, was leased for 150 years to a consortium of Golf Club Investment Holdings, Conduit Investments, and (as Operator) the Buena Vista Hospitality Group of Orlando, ], with the intention of creating a luxury hotel, conference, spa, and golfing centre.<ref name="natalieclarke"/> Full Planning Permission was obtained, with the co-operation of the local Planning Authority and English Heritage, and an investment in the project of £50 million was announced. However 18 months later, before starting any building work, the consortium failed during the recession, and the lease ended.<ref name="natalieclarke"/>


⚫ In 2006 the house, with its 50-horse stable block, outbuildings and some farmland, was leased for 150 years to a consortium of Golf Club Investment Holdings, Conduit Investments, and (as operator) the Buena Vista Hospitality Group of ], Florida, with the intention of creating a luxury hotel, conference, spa, and golfing centre. Full ] was obtained, with the co-operation of the local Planning Authority and ], and an investment in the project of £50 million was announced. However 18 months later, before starting any building work, the consortium failed during the recession, and the lease ended.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
⚫ In 2014 the trustees sold the house and 800 acres for £11.25m to an undisclosed buyer (believed to be Conservative Party donor and multi-millionaire property developer Jamie Ritblat) after overcoming a legal challenge from the Earl of Cardigan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Earl of Cardigan loses appeal over sale of Tottenham House|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-29664082|publisher=BBC|accessdate=13 April 2015|date=17 October 2014}}</ref> In November 2014 the 61-year-old Old Etonian David Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan, son and heir of the ], was reported in the Daily Telegraph nnewspaper to be living with his second wife and baby daughter in an unheated lodge in the grounds of Tottenham House on a £71-a-week jobseeker’s allowance while training to be a lorry driver.<ref>Daily Telegraph, 15 November 2014</ref> He is still theoretically the hereditary Warden of Savernake Forest and has stated he was: "put on this earth to take care of Savernake and I will never let it go".<ref>Daily Telegraph, 17 Oct 2014 </ref> He is due to benefit from the sale proceeds and will still own jointly with the trustees 3,700 acres, mainly woodland, in Savernake Forest.<ref>Daily Telegraph, 17 Oct 2014</ref>


⚫ In 2014, the trustees sold the house and 800 acres for £11.25m to an undisclosed buyer, which was believed to be multi-millionaire property developer ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/14233653.Hotel_dream____still_alive____for_Tottenham_House/|title=Hotel dream 'still alive' for Tottenham House|last=Hicks|first=Amber|date=27 January 2016|website=The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald|language=en|access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref> after overcoming a legal challenge from the Earl of Cardigan.<ref>{{cite news|title=Earl of Cardigan loses appeal over sale of Tottenham House|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-29664082|publisher=BBC|access-date=13 April 2015|date=17 October 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref> In November 2014 the Earl was reported in the ''Daily Telegraph'' newspaper to be living with his second wife and baby daughter in an unheated lodge in the grounds of Tottenham House on a £71-a-week jobseeker's allowance while training to be a lorry driver.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/11228135/Whats-happening-to-Henrys-houses.html|title=What's happening to Henry's houses?|last=Davidson|first=Max|date=15 November 2014|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=28 March 2017|language=en}}</ref> He is still theoretically the hereditary Warden of Savernake Forest and has stated he was: "put on this earth to take care of Savernake and I will never let it go".<ref name="Daily Telegraph, 17 Oct 2014">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/11170474/Earl-of-Cardigan-admits-defeat-in-battle-to-keep-ancestral-home-on-Savernake-estate.html|title=Earl of Cardigan admits defeat in battle to keep ancestral home on Savernake estate|last=Rayner|first=Gordon|date=17 October 2014|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=28 March 2017|language=en}}</ref> He was due to benefit from the sale proceeds and would still own jointly with the trustees 3,700 acres, mainly woodland, in Savernake Forest.<ref name="Daily Telegraph, 17 Oct 2014"/> In 2017 he was able to remove both trustees from office, and restore his family’s income.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/15168688.Earl_of_Cardigan_wins_High_Court_battle_to_oust_Savernake_Estate_trustees/|title=Earl of Cardigan wins High Court battle to oust Savernake Estate trustees|last=Mills|first=Richard|date=20 March 2017|website=The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald|access-date=9 July 2018}}</ref>
⚫ ==In popular culture==
The house featured as the boys' school in the 1995 film '']'', starring ].<ref>{{IMDb title|0109784|A Feast at Midnight}}</ref>
In 2013, the house and Savernake estate were used as the location for a short film commissioned by British electronica pioneers ] to promote the song 'Drew' from their album '']''. Shot in black and white by film editor ], the internal and external aspects of the house and surrounding forest feature extensively in the five-minute film.


As of 2017, the house had been unoccupied since 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://unidoc.wiltshire.gov.uk/UniDoc/Document/File/MTgvMDAxOTUvTEJDLDExMjY5Nzc=|title=Tottenham House & Estate: Vision Statement|date=December 2017|website=Wiltshire Council – planning application 18/00195/LBC|access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> Plans were submitted in December 2017 to return the house, stables, outbuildings, and park to a family residence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z000014enMyAAI/1800195lbc|title=Planning application 18/00195/LBC|date=December 2017|website=Wiltshire Council|language=en-gb|access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref>
⚫ ==Further reading==

*Lennon, Ben, ''Burlington, Brown and Bill: The Landscaping of Tottenham Park and Savernake Forest in the Eighteenth Century''
⚫ ==In popular culture==
The house featured as the boys' school in the 1995 film '']'', starring ].<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q80609|id=tt0109784|title=A Feast at Midnight}}</ref> In 2006, the band ] recorded part of their 2007 album '']'' at the house.<ref name="Mojo">{{cite news|title=Ghost in the Machine|date=1 August 2006|work=]|pages=74–77|author=Kent, Nick|author-link=Nick Kent}}</ref> In 2013, the house and Savernake estate were used as the location for a short film commissioned by electronica pioneers ] to promote the song 'Drew' from their album '']''. Shot in black and white by film editor ], the internal and external aspects of the house and surrounding forest feature extensively in the five-minute film. In 2015, the house featured in season 6 of the romantic-drama TV series, '']''. The house, in the show called Dryden Park, is the rather run-down estate of Sir Michael Reresby; Thomas Barrow visits Dryden Park in 1925 to interview for a job as a man servant.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist|30em}}

⚫ ==Further reading==
* Lennon, Ben, Burlington, Brown and Bill:


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category|Tottenham House}} {{commons category-inline}}
* {{NHLE|num=1183809|desc=Tottenham House - Grade I|accessdate=13 April 2015}}
* {{NHLE|num=1365488|desc=Stable block to Tottenham House - Grade II*|accessdate=13 April 2015}}
* {{NHLE|num=1000472|desc=Tottenham House and Savernake Forest - Grade II*, Register of Historic Parks and Gardens|accessdate=13 April 2015}}
* {{cite web|last1=Weaver|first1=Matt|title=On the pile - the Amber charity at Tottenham House|url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/mar/09/guardiansocietysupplement.socialcare|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=13 April 2015|location=London|date=9 March 2005}}
* at the Culpepper Family History Site.


] ]
] ]
] ]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
⚫ {{coord|51.374|-1.643|display=title|region:GB_scale:10000}}

Latest revision as of 02:33, 6 December 2024

Country house in Wiltshire, UK

Tottenham House, Wiltshire, east front, in 2006

Tottenham House is a large Grade I listed English country house in the parish of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, about five miles southeast of the town of Marlborough. It is separated from the town by Savernake Forest, which is part of the Tottenham Park estate.

The site of the house was part of the much larger Savernake Forest, and in the Middle Ages was controlled by the heads of the Esturmy family. In the 15th century, the land passed by marriage to the House of Seymour of nearby Wulfhall, about one mile to the south. The original house was probably built in about 1575 by Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, a nephew of Queen Jane Seymour, when it was known as Totnam Lodge. The present house incorporates parts of the earlier houses on the site built by the Seymours. In 1675, the estate passed to Lady Elizabeth Seymour, who married Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, thus bringing the house into the Bruce family.

In 1721, Elizabeth Seymour's son and heir, Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury, rebuilt Totnam Lodge to the design of his brother-in-law, the pioneering Palladian architect Lord Burlington, and parts of the grounds, including the kitchen garden, were laid out by Capability Brown between 1764 and about 1770, commissioned by Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury. The house underwent a number of further rebuilds, and the current house, containing more than one hundred rooms, mostly dates from the 1820s, having then been remodelled by Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury, who in 1818 (while still Earl of Aylesbury) had added a new range of stables designed by Thomas Cundy.

The Bruce family lived in the house until 1946. Thereafter it was used as a preparatory school until 1994, and then leased to a charity until 2005, after which it was unoccupied for some ten years, apart from a period in 2006, when the band Radiohead recorded part of their album In Rainbows at the house. It was then leased for 150 years to a US-based consortium with the intention of creating a luxury hotel and golfing centre, but the consortium went bankrupt in 2008. In 2014, the house was sold for £11.25m to an undisclosed buyer who had plans to turn it back into a private home.

Early history

Tottenham House, depicted circa 1790, the Palladian building designed by Lord Burlington circa 1721, largely lost following remodelling in the 1820s

The site of Tottenham House was known by 1200 as Tottenham Wood, a part of the much larger Savernake Forest, and was under the control of the Esturmy family. The land passed to the Seymour family by the marriage of Maud Esturmy to Roger II Seymour in the 15th century. It was probably Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (1539–1621), son and heir of the 1st Duke, of nearby Wulfhall, who in about 1575 built the first house, known as Totnam Lodge, and enclosed its surrounding land to form a deer park. Wulfhall was partly demolished, and the building materials used to construct Tottenham House.

The house was still known as the Lodge in 1623, in which year the parish register of Great Bedwyn records the baptism of the 1st Earl's great-granddaughter Frances Seymour, the daughter of Sir Francis Seymour (c. 1590 – 1664) (later created Baron Seymour of Trowbridge), which was performed "at the Lodge in the Great Parke by Henrie Taylor, Vicar of Great Bedwin". John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset (1629–1675), an uncle, inherited the estate in 1671 on the death of his nephew the 3rd Duke, and in 1672 he rebuilt Totnam Lodge and redesigned the deer park, which at that date included long tree-lined walks and a deer chase. The 4th Duke of Somerset bequeathed the unentailed Seymour estates to his niece Elizabeth Seymour, the wife of Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury (1656–1741), thus passing some of the Seymour estates to the Bruce family. In 1721 Elizabeth Seymour's son and heir, Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury, rebuilt Totnam Lodge to the design of his brother-in-law, the pioneering Palladian architect Lord Burlington. Henry Flitcroft was the executant architect. The 3rd Earl added wings to Burlington's block in the 1730s, and also built in 1743 a Banqueting House in the park to the design of Burlington (demolished in 1824). Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury inherited the estate in 1747 from his uncle, Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury in 1747. Parts of the grounds, including the kitchen garden, were laid out by Capability Brown from 1764 to c 1770, commissioned by Thomas Brudenell-Bruce.

In 1818, Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, added stables to the design of Thomas Cundy II. In 1823–26 he enlarged and remodelled the house, again to the designs of Thomas Cundy.

Description of present house

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (November 2024)

Modern use

The Ailesbury family lived in the house, sharing it during the Second World War with the US Army, until 1946. Thereafter it was used by Hawtreys Preparatory School until 1994 when Hawtreys merged with Cheam School, Newbury. It was then leased for ten years to the Amber Foundation, a charity which helped unemployed troubled young people to rebuild their lives, but its work there ended due to cuts in government support.

In 1966, the house was designated as Grade I listed, while the small octagonal folly building (c. 1720) in the deer park, and the stable block (1819) were designated Grade II*.

David Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan owned 49% and his son Thomas James Brudenell-Bruce, Viscount Savernake owned 51%. Between 2011 and 2017, the impoverished Earl was involved in a bitter legal battle with the trustees.

In 2006 the house, with its 50-horse stable block, outbuildings and some farmland, was leased for 150 years to a consortium of Golf Club Investment Holdings, Conduit Investments, and (as operator) the Buena Vista Hospitality Group of Orlando, Florida, with the intention of creating a luxury hotel, conference, spa, and golfing centre. Full planning permission was obtained, with the co-operation of the local Planning Authority and English Heritage, and an investment in the project of £50 million was announced. However 18 months later, before starting any building work, the consortium failed during the recession, and the lease ended.

In 2014, the trustees sold the house and 800 acres for £11.25m to an undisclosed buyer, which was believed to be multi-millionaire property developer Jamie Ritblat after overcoming a legal challenge from the Earl of Cardigan. In November 2014 the Earl was reported in the Daily Telegraph newspaper to be living with his second wife and baby daughter in an unheated lodge in the grounds of Tottenham House on a £71-a-week jobseeker's allowance while training to be a lorry driver. He is still theoretically the hereditary Warden of Savernake Forest and has stated he was: "put on this earth to take care of Savernake and I will never let it go". He was due to benefit from the sale proceeds and would still own jointly with the trustees 3,700 acres, mainly woodland, in Savernake Forest. In 2017 he was able to remove both trustees from office, and restore his family’s income.

As of 2017, the house had been unoccupied since 2005. Plans were submitted in December 2017 to return the house, stables, outbuildings, and park to a family residence.

In popular culture

The house featured as the boys' school in the 1995 film A Feast at Midnight, starring Christopher Lee. In 2006, the band Radiohead recorded part of their 2007 album In Rainbows at the house. In 2013, the house and Savernake estate were used as the location for a short film commissioned by electronica pioneers Goldfrapp to promote the song 'Drew' from their album Tales of Us. Shot in black and white by film editor Lisa Gunning, the internal and external aspects of the house and surrounding forest feature extensively in the five-minute film. In 2015, the house featured in season 6 of the romantic-drama TV series, Downton Abbey. The house, in the show called Dryden Park, is the rather run-down estate of Sir Michael Reresby; Thomas Barrow visits Dryden Park in 1925 to interview for a job as a man servant.

References

  1. ^ Historic England. "Tottenham House and Savernake Forest (1000472)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. ^ Stroud, Dorothy (1 October 1984). Capability Brown (5th ed.). Boston: Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571134052.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ Willis, Peter (1984). "Capability Brown's account with Drummonds Bank, 1753-1783". Architectural History, Volume 27: Design and Practice in British Architecture. 27: 382–391.
  4. Tony Millett (12 September 2018). "Analysis: Tottenham House development – a win-win decision for Wiltshire Council". marlboroughnewsonline.
  5. John Murray (1869). A Handbook for Travellers in Wiltshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire. John Murray. p. 46.
  6. Frederic Madden; Bulkeley Bandinel; John Gough Nichols, eds. (1838). Collectanea Topographica Et Genealogica. Vol. 5. p. 31.
  7. Rudolf Wittkower, in Architectural Journal 102 1945, noted in Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840, 3rd ed. 1995, s.v. "Boyle, Richard, Earl of Burlington".
  8. Colvin, "Boyle".
  9. Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840, 3rd ed. 1995, s.v. "Cundy, Thomas", "Wyatville, Sir Jeffry".
  10. Weaver, Matt (9 March 2005). "On the pile". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  11. Historic England. "Tottenham House (1183809)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  12. Historic England. "Garden folly in Tottenham House deerpark (1300392)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  13. Historic England. "Stable Block to Tottenham House (1365488)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  14. Simon de Bruxelles, 'Penniless earl claims jobseeker's allowance after ex-wife's entire £1.5m estate goes to the children', The Times, March 07, 2013, No. 70826, p. 3
  15. Mills, Richard (20 March 2017). "Earl of Cardigan wins High Court battle to oust Savernake Estate trustees". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  16. Hicks, Amber (27 January 2016). "Hotel dream 'still alive' for Tottenham House". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  17. "Earl of Cardigan loses appeal over sale of Tottenham House". BBC News. BBC. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  18. Davidson, Max (15 November 2014). "What's happening to Henry's houses?". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  19. ^ Rayner, Gordon (17 October 2014). "Earl of Cardigan admits defeat in battle to keep ancestral home on Savernake estate". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  20. Mills, Richard (20 March 2017). "Earl of Cardigan wins High Court battle to oust Savernake Estate trustees". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  21. "Tottenham House & Estate: Vision Statement". Wiltshire Council – planning application 18/00195/LBC. December 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  22. "Planning application 18/00195/LBC". Wiltshire Council. December 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  23. A Feast at Midnight at IMDb
  24. Kent, Nick (1 August 2006). "Ghost in the Machine". Mojo. pp. 74–77.

Further reading

External links

Media related to Tottenham House at Wikimedia Commons 51°22′26″N 1°38′35″W / 51.374°N 1.643°W / 51.374; -1.643

Categories: