Roke Manor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roke Manor is the name of the 17th century manor house approximately 2km north-west of Romsey in Hampshire, UK. The house and 22 acre grounds are currently owned by Siemens company Roke Manor Research Limited.
[edit] History
- 1256 - First known reference to a settlement at Roke in the 'Feet of Fines' papers of Southampton.
- 1709 - The estate was passed to a John Fifield and remained in the possession of his family until 1858. During this time many improvements were made to the house and grounds, and the house was renamed 'The Park'.
- 1935 - The estate was bought by the Ansell family – a Birmingham-based brewery firm. Some of the Ansell racing cars were maintained at Roke until the 1950s.
- 1956 - The house and 22 acres of the estate were bought for £13,000 by the Plessey Company and named Plessey Research Roke Manor Limited.
