Carswell Manor
Encyclopedia
Carswell Manor is a Jacobean
country house at Carswell in the civil parish
of Buckland
in the English
county of Oxfordshire
(formerly Berkshire
). It is located just north of the A420 road
between Swindon
and Oxford
.
dates back to the early 17th century. It is constructed mainly of Cotswold stone
and surrounded by mature woodland. Within the extensive grounds there is a ha-ha. There is also a dovecote
dating from 1619 which is purported to be the first square dovecote built in Berkshire.
The house was probably built for John Southby
who was High Sheriff of Berkshire
in 1646/7 and MP for Berkshire
in 1654/6. His family had lived on the site since 1584 and continued there until 1892.
, to be his country residence. The Niven family's crest and motto is still set in stone above the front porch. The Niven family sold the property shortly after David's birth. The property was bought by Captain Francis Mourilyan Butler and his wife Josephine (neé Lawrence). Captain Butler was killed during The Great War
. His only son (also called Francis) was brought up at Carswell Manor.
an exclusive preparatory school
which moved there from Malvern
, where it had been evacuated
during the war.
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
country house at Carswell in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Buckland
Buckland, Oxfordshire
Buckland is a village and civil parish about northeast of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse District. Buckland was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Character and geography:...
in the English
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...
county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
(formerly Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
). It is located just north of the A420 road
A420 road
The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route.-Present route:Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road is in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Street near the centre of Bristol, it passes through Kingswood before...
between Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Original house
The Grade II Listed, three-storey manor houseManor 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...
dates back to the early 17th century. It is constructed mainly of Cotswold stone
Cotswold stone
Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'....
and surrounded by mature woodland. Within the extensive grounds there is a ha-ha. There is also a dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
dating from 1619 which is purported to be the first square dovecote built in Berkshire.
The house was probably built for John Southby
John Southby
John Southby was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1654 to 1656.Southby was the son of Richard Southby of Carswell Manor in the parish of Buckland in Berkshire and his wife, Jane, the daughter of Edward Keate of Lockinge in Berkshire...
who was High Sheriff of Berkshire
High Sheriff of Berkshire
The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'....
in 1646/7 and MP for Berkshire
Berkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Berkshire was a parliamentary constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885...
in 1654/6. His family had lived on the site since 1584 and continued there until 1892.
Victorian expansion
The buildings were extensively restored and remodelled in between 1893 and 1898 by William Edward Graham Niven (1878–1915), a lawyer and architect, and the father of the actor, David NivenDavid Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
, to be his country residence. The Niven family's crest and motto is still set in stone above the front porch. The Niven family sold the property shortly after David's birth. The property was bought by Captain Francis Mourilyan Butler and his wife Josephine (neé Lawrence). Captain Butler was killed during The Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. His only son (also called Francis) was brought up at Carswell Manor.
School
Since 1945 Carswell Manor has been the home of St Hugh's SchoolSt Hugh's School, Faringdon, Oxfordshire
St. Hugh's is a preparatory school near Faringdon in Oxfordshire. The school is co-educational, day and boarding, offering both weekly and flexi-boarding, and has 280 pupils aged 4 to 13 years....
an exclusive preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
which moved there from Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, where it had been evacuated
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
during the war.