Caversham Park
Encyclopedia
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
.
or castle
, probably nearer the Thames
than the present house. The estate was registered in the Domesday Book
, in an entry describing a property of 9.7 square kilometres (2,400 acres) worth £20. The estate passed to William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke
and Protector of the Realm
, in the late 1100s. Marshall, who in his final years acted as de facto regent under the reign of a young Henry III
, died in Caversham Park in 1218.
Later it was occupied by the Earls of Warwick
. In 1542, it was bought by Sir Francis Knollys
, the treasurer of Queen Elizabeth I. However, he did not move here until over forty years later, when he completely rebuilt the house slightly to the north. Sir Francis' son, William Knollys
, the Earl of Banbury
, entertained Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Anne of Denmark
here.
Later it became home to the Royalist
Earl of Craven
. During the Civil War
, the house was confiscated and used to imprison Charles I
. Following the Civil War, the manor was demolished because of its poor state of repair.
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
started to have the house rebuilt in 1718. A friend of the Duke of Marlborough
, he tried to rival the gardens at Blenheim Palace
. The house burned down in the late 18th century and was replaced with a smaller house. This was enlarged by Major Charles Marsack in the 1780s, in the Greek
temple style. Thomas Jefferson
visited the estate in 1783.
The residential area of Caversham Park Village
was developed in the 1960s on some of the parkland.
after a fire in 1850. Afterwards Crawshay had the house rebuilt on an iron frame, one of the earliest cases of the use of this technique.
During the First World War, part of the building was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers. In 1923 The Oratory School
bought the house and about 120 hectares (300 acres) of the estate's remaining 730 hectares (1,800 acres). The principal of the school was Edward Pereira. The legacy of the estate's days as a school remain with a chapel building and graves for three boys, one of whom died in World War II
in 1940, the other two having died from accident and sickness in the 1920s.
into the premises from Wood Norton Hall
, near Evesham in Worcestershire
, in Spring 1943. The nearby estate of Crowsley Park
was acquired by the BBC at the same time, to act as the service's receiving station. Caversham Park and Crowsley Park continue to function in that role today. BBC Radio Berkshire
is also based at Caversham Park.
In major building works in the 1980s, the BBC restored the old interior, removed utilitarian brick buildings put up alongside the mansion during the war, converted the orangery for use as a listening room and editorial offices, and built a large new west wing. A further major building project in 2007-08 saw the west wing converted to house all of Monitoring's operational staff.
A large 10 metres (32.8 ft) diameter satellite dish was erected in the grounds in the early 1980s. Later painted green (rather than white) to reduce its obtrusiveness, it and the mansion house are prominent local landmarks, overlooking the Thames and the eastern part of Reading. Shortwave aerials in front of the house were removed.
In the 1980s, the formal name of the service was shortened to "BBC Monitoring".
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
with parkland in the suburb of Caversham
Caversham, Berkshire
Caversham is a suburb and former village in the unitary authority of Reading, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, within the royal county of Berkshire, on the opposite bank from the rest of Reading...
, on the outskirts of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, England
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...
. Historically it was in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, but since 1911 it has been in 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...
.
Early History
The history of Caversham Park goes back to at least Norman times, when Walter Giffard, a distant relative of William the Conqueror, was given the estate after the 1066 conquest. The estate, then Caversham Manor, was a fortified 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...
or castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, probably nearer the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
than the present house. The estate was registered in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, in an entry describing a property of 9.7 square kilometres (2,400 acres) worth £20. The estate passed to William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
and Protector of the Realm
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
, in the late 1100s. Marshall, who in his final years acted as de facto regent under the reign of a young Henry III
Henry III
Henry III may refer to:*Henry III, Duke of Bavaria *Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor *Henry the Lion, Henry III of Saxony, *Henry III of England *Henry III, Count of Champagne, , also King Henry I of Navarre...
, died in Caversham Park in 1218.
Later it was occupied by the Earls of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
. In 1542, it was bought by Sir Francis Knollys
Francis Knollys (the elder)
Sir Francis Knollys , of Greys Court, in Oxfordshire, KG was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I of England, and was a Member of Parliament for a number of constituencies....
, the treasurer of Queen Elizabeth I. However, he did not move here until over forty years later, when he completely rebuilt the house slightly to the north. Sir Francis' son, William Knollys
William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury
Sir William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury, KG, PC was an English nobleman at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and King James...
, the Earl of Banbury
Earl of Banbury
Earl of Banbury was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1626 for William Knollys. He had already been created Baron Knollys in 1603 and Viscount Wallingford in 1616, both in the Peerage of England. The titles are considered to have become extinct on his death in 1632. However, the...
, entertained Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
here.
Later it became home to the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
Earl of Craven
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608-1697)
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, PC was an English nobleman and soldier.His father William Craven was born in a poor family in Appletreewick in North Yorkshire but moved to London, became wealthy, and was Lord Mayor of London in 1610.Craven fought for Frederick V on the Continent and fell in...
. During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the house was confiscated and used to imprison Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. Following the Civil War, the manor was demolished because of its poor state of repair.
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan KT PC was a noted military officer in the army of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession...
started to have the house rebuilt in 1718. A friend of the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, he tried to rival the gardens at Blenheim Palace
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...
. The house burned down in the late 18th century and was replaced with a smaller house. This was enlarged by Major Charles Marsack in the 1780s, in the Greek
Architecture of Ancient Greece
The architecture of Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking people whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland and Peloponnesus, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest...
temple style. 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...
visited the estate in 1783.
The residential area of Caversham Park Village
Caversham Park Village
Caversham Park Village is an area of the former town of Caversham, which today is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire...
was developed in the 1960s on some of the parkland.
Current Building
The present building was erected by the Crawshay familyWilliam Crawshay II
William Crawshay II was the son of William Crawshay I, the owner of Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales....
after a fire in 1850. Afterwards Crawshay had the house rebuilt on an iron frame, one of the earliest cases of the use of this technique.
During the First World War, part of the building was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers. In 1923 The Oratory School
The Oratory School
The Oratory School is a Roman Catholic, independent school for boys in Woodcote, Berkshire. It is the last Catholic all-boys boarding school remaining in Great Britain. It has approximately 420 pupils...
bought the house and about 120 hectares (300 acres) of the estate's remaining 730 hectares (1,800 acres). The principal of the school was Edward Pereira. The legacy of the estate's days as a school remain with a chapel building and graves for three boys, one of whom died in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1940, the other two having died from accident and sickness in the 1920s.
BBC Monitoring
With the onset of the Second World War the British Ministry of Health requisitioned Caversham Park, and initially intended to convert it into a hospital. However, the BBC purchased the property with government Grant-in-Aid funds, and moved its Monitoring ServiceBBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation which monitors, and reports on, mass media worldwide. Based at Caversham Park in Caversham, Reading in southern England, it has a number of overseas bureaux including Moscow, Nairobi, Kiev, Baku, Tashkent, Cairo, Tbilisi, Yerevan...
into the premises from Wood Norton Hall
Wood Norton, Worcestershire
Wood Norton Hall is a Grade II listed Victorian stately home near Evesham, Worcestershire, England. It was the last home in England of Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who claimed the throne of France...
, near Evesham in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, in Spring 1943. The nearby estate of Crowsley Park
Crowsley Park
Crowsley Park is a 160-acre country estate in South Oxfordshire, central-southern England, owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation .- Overview :...
was acquired by the BBC at the same time, to act as the service's receiving station. Caversham Park and Crowsley Park continue to function in that role today. BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
is also based at Caversham Park.
In major building works in the 1980s, the BBC restored the old interior, removed utilitarian brick buildings put up alongside the mansion during the war, converted the orangery for use as a listening room and editorial offices, and built a large new west wing. A further major building project in 2007-08 saw the west wing converted to house all of Monitoring's operational staff.
A large 10 metres (32.8 ft) diameter satellite dish was erected in the grounds in the early 1980s. Later painted green (rather than white) to reduce its obtrusiveness, it and the mansion house are prominent local landmarks, overlooking the Thames and the eastern part of Reading. Shortwave aerials in front of the house were removed.
In the 1980s, the formal name of the service was shortened to "BBC Monitoring".