Townhill Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 50°55′51″N 1°21′28″W / 50.9308°N 1.3579°W / 50.9308; -1.3579
Townhill Park

Meggeson Avenue is the main road through the Townhill Park housing estate
Townhill Park

 Townhill Park shown within Southampton
Unitary authority Southampton
Ceremonial county Hampshire
Region South East
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town SOUTHAMPTON
Postcode district SO18
Dialling code 023
Police Hampshire
Fire Hampshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament Southampton Itchen
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire

Townhill Park is a suburb of Southampton, England, bordering Swaythling, Bitterne Park and West End. It is built on land which once belonged to the house which carries the same name.

History

The Manor of Townhill was granted to Sir William Paulet by Henry VIII in 1536 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The land was mainly used for farming, and became known as Townhill Farm.

Townhill Farm became part of the Manor of South Stoneham, but was purchased in 1787 by Nathaniel Middleton, who had made his fortune in the service of the British East India Company. He turned the farmhouse into a private home, and the estate became known as Townhill Park. He enlarged the farmhouse, but a fire resulted in a complete revamp of the property in 1793. The property later passed into the hands of the Gater family, who also owned the nearby Gater's Mill in Mansbridge.

In 1897, Townhill Farm was purchased by Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling, for his son Louis (who became the second Baron Swaythling in 1911). In 1912, extensive further modiciations were made to the building by architect Leonard Rome Guthrie. The gardens at Townhill Park were laid out by Gertrude Jekyll and were noted for their rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. The Montagu Family lived in Townhill Park until the mid-1940s.

The property was sold in 1948. 294 acres (1.19 km2) were sold to Southampton Borough Council for housing, and the suburb of Townhill Park came into existence. Meanwhile the house itself and the remaining 30 acres (120,000 m2) of land became a school for underprivileged girls, owned and operated by Middlesex County Council. The school closed in 1969 and the building was acquired by Southampton City Council. From 1971, the building was used as a hostel for Merchant Navy cadets, housing 75, until 1984 when the house became a conference centre.

In 1994, Townhill Park House was purchased by The Gregg School. The Friends of Townhill Park Gardens was established in 1997 to restore the gardens, which are now open to the public on four days each year. The house, too, is occasionally open for guided tours. The house is a grade II listed building.[1]

Townhill Park today

The local authority boundary between Eastleigh (borough) and Southampton runs through the old Townhill Farm property, and the area is divided. The house and gardens, and the suburb of Chartwell Green in West End parish, lie within Eastleigh (borough) while the suburb of Townhill Park is governed by Southampton City Council.

The Townhill Park suburb consists mainly of blocks of flats, built originally as council housing. The hub of the area is Meggeson Avenue, where a small parade of shops, a public house, and a small community centre are located. It also contains the Townhill Infant and Townhill Junior schools.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.