![Cranbury Park Hampshire Morris edited](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Cranbury_Park_Hampshire_Morris_edited.jpg)
Cranbury Park is a
stately home
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
and
country estate
An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner.
British context
In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...
situated in the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of
Hursley
Hursley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England with a population of around 900 in 2011. It is located roughly midway between Romsey and Winchester on the A3090. Besides the village the parish includes the hamlets of Standon and ...
,
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, England. It was formerly the home to Sir
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
and later to
the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and surrounding park and farmland. The house and park are not generally open to the public, although open days are occasionally held.
History
Early years
Cranbury was originally an important hamlet of Hursley, with many distinct farms and cottages, but now the name belongs only to Cranbury House and Park.
The first recorded tenant of Cranbury is a Mr. Shoveller,
who surrendered it to Roger Coram before 1580.
Coram rented Cranbury at
£17 2
s per annum from the Lord of the Manor of
Merdon, Sir Thomas Clarke.
An incident is recorded of a dispute between Coram and Clarke regarding the rights of the tenants and the Lord of the Manor:
Following the death of Coram, Sir Edward Richards held the property until the 1640s, when he let it to
Dr John Young, dean of Winchester.
During the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
era, when Young was expelled from the deanery, he lived in quiet retirement at Cranbury.
His widow occupied the estate in 1650, and later transferred the house to Sir
Charles Wyndham, who married her daughter in 1665.
Sir Charles, who (like Coram before him) was noted as "''a zealous assertor of the tenants' rights''",
was
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
from 1679 to 1698 and for
St Ives in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
from 1698 to 1701. He died in 1706, although his wife survived him until 1720. A small monument was raised for them in Hursley Church.
John Conduitt and Sir Isaac Newton
On the death of Lady Wyndham, the house and estate were sold to
John Conduitt
John Conduitt (; c. 8 March 1688 – 23 May 1737), of Cranbury Park, Hampshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1721 to 1737. He was married to the half-niece of Sir Isaac Newton, whom Conduitt s ...
.
In May 1721, Conduitt married
Catherine Barton
Catherine Barton (1679–1739) was an English homemaker who oversaw the running of her uncle, scientist Isaac Newton's, household. She was reputed to be the source of the story of the apple inspiring Newton's work on gravity, and his papers came ...
, half-niece and adopted daughter of Sir
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
. Shortly after his marriage, Conduitt became MP for
Whitchurch, Hampshire
Whitchurch is a town in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire, England. It is on the River Test, south of Newbury, Berkshire, north of Winchester, east of Andover and west of Basingstoke. Much of the town is a Conservation Area. ...
. Towards the end of his life, Newton became resident at Cranbury Park, remaining there until his death in 1727.
On Newton's death, Conduitt succeeded him as
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint is a title within the Royal Mint given to the most senior person responsible for its operation. It was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, between ...
. In 1734, although Conduitt was re-elected to his seat at Whitchurch he chose to represent
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
instead.
Conduitt had a
sundial
A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...
installed in the gardens at Cranbury Park, which was calculated by Sir Isaac Newton.
The sundial has been described thus:
The Dummers and Lady Dance-Holland
Conduitt died in 1737, leaving a daughter, Catherine, whose guardians sold Cranbury Park to
Thomas Lee Dummer,
who succeeded him as MP for Southampton, retaining that position for four years. In 1747, he was elected as MP for
Newport on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
and continued to represent that town until his death in 1765. On his death, the estate was left to his son,
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
, who also succeeded him as MP for Newport. Thomas was subsequently to become MP for
Yarmouth (1769–1774),
Wendover
Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...
in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
(1775–1780) and
Lymington
Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a car ferry service operated by Wightlink. It is within the ...
(1780–1781). He was also elected to represent
Downton in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
in 1774, but his election was declared invalid.
![Cranbury Park 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Cranbury_Park_01.jpg)
In 1770, Thomas purchased the City Cross (also known as the
Buttercross
A buttercross, also known as butter cross or butter market, is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. Its name originates from the fact that they were located at the market place, where peop ...
) from the Corporation of Winchester, intending to have it re-erected at Cranbury. When his workmen arrived to dismantle the cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city, who "''organised a small riot''" and they were forced to abandon their task. The agreement with the city was cancelled and Dummer erected a
lath and plaster
Lath and plaster is a building process used to finish mainly interior dividing walls and ceilings. It consists of narrow strips of wood ( laths) which are nailed horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists and then coated in plaster. The ...
facsimile, which stood in the park for about sixty years before it was destroyed by the weather.
Undaunted by his failure to acquire the City Cross to grace the estate, Dummer turned his attention to the ruins of
Netley Abbey
(Happy Place), Lieu-Saint-Edward, Letley
, order= Cistercians
, established= 1239
, disestablished= 1536/7
, mother= Beaulieu Abbey
, diocese= Diocese of Winchester
, founder= Peter des Roches and Henry III
, dedication= Virgin Mary and ...
, which he also owned, and moved the north transept of the abbey to Cranbury Park, where it can be still be seen as a folly in the park, at .
The ruins comprise an arch, the base of a pillar, and a scaled-down gateway tower. The rear of the gateway has been made into a keeper's cottage and is known to the village of
Otterbourne as "the Castle"
and is marked as such on the
Ordnance Survey
, nativename_a =
, nativename_r =
, logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg
, logo_width = 240px
, logo_caption =
, seal =
, seal_width =
, seal_caption =
, picture =
, picture_width =
, picture_caption =
, formed =
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, di ...
map.
Thomas Dummer died without heirs in 1781, leaving his property at Cranbury and
Netley
Netley, officially referred to as Netley Abbey, is a village on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It is situated to the south-east of the city of Southampton, and flanked on one side by the ruins of Netley Abbey and on the other by the R ...
and also at
Horninghold in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
first to his widow, Harriet, with reversion to Thomas Chamberlayne, a member of a family with which the Dummers had been previously connected.
Harriet Dummer (the daughter of
Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet
Sir Cecil Bisshopp, 6th Baronet Bisshopp (30 October 1700 – 15 June 1778), was a British politician. He succeeded to the title of 6th Baronet Bishopp, of Parham, co. Sussex on 25 October 1725. He was Member of Parliament for Penryn betw ...
) then married the artist Nathaniel Dance (later Sir
Nathaniel Dance-Holland
Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1st Baronet (8 May 1735 – 15 October 1811) was an English portrait painter and later a politician.
Early life
The third son of architect George Dance the Elder, Dance (he added the 'Holland' suffix later in l ...
, Bt), whose brother
George Dance had designed the present-day house, built in 1780.
Like many of his predecessors and successors, Dance-Holland was an MP serving
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...
in
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
from 1790 to 1802 and again from 1807 to his death in 1811, and
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough.
The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taunton ...
from 1802 to 1806.
The Chamberlayne family
Dance-Holland died in 1811, but his wife survived him until 1825;
on her death,
William Chamberlayne, MP for
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, came into the property under the terms of the will of Thomas Dummer.
William Chamberlayne (1760–1829) was MP for Southampton from 1818 until his death. Whilst serving the town, William Chamberlayne was also chairman of the company supplying gas lighting to the town of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and donated the iron columns for the new gas street-lights, also the public baths at Northam. In 1822, the townspeople erected a memorial to William Chamberlayne in gratitude, consisting of an iron
Doric Doric may refer to:
* Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece
** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians
* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture
* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode
* Doric dialect (Scotland)
* Doric ...
column; In 2000 the column was moved to its current location in Houndwell Park.
On the death of William Chamberlayne in 1829, the estate passed to his cousin
Thomas Chamberlayne Thomas Chamberlayne may refer to:
*Sir Thomas Chamberlayne (judge)
Sir Thomas Chamberlayne, SL (died 27 September 1625) was an English judge who served as Chief Justice of Chester during the reign of James I of England.
Life
Chamberlayne, the ...
. Thomas (1805–1876) was a keen
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
sman who sailed his yacht, ''Arrow'', in the inaugural
America's Cup
The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
race in 1851. This race was won by the America. See "The Field" of May 1, 1886, and "The Graphic" of June 18, 1887. In 1852 The Arrow beat the famous America in the race at Ryde for the Queen's Cup. He also played
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
for
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
and was a great
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
and
coursing
Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, ...
enthusiast, who built both new stables and a cricket pitch at Cranbury Park.
On his death in 1876 the estate passed to his son, Tankerville Chamberlayne.
Tankerville Chamberlayne was also MP for Southampton from 1892 until 1896, when he was disqualified for
electoral fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
in the
1895 General Election; despite this he was returned to office in
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
until he lost his seat in
1906. It was only after his retirement from politics that Tankerville Chamberlayne took up permanent residence at Cranbury, having previously resided at his
Weston Grove estate in
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
.
Chamberlayne died in 1924 and was succeeded by his son, also called Tankerville Chamberlayne, who had married Magaret Frances Bertram in 1922. He in turn was succeeded by his only daughter Penelope Mary Alexandra Chamberlayne in 1943. She married Major Nigel Donald Peter Macdonald (son of
Sir Godfrey Middleton Bosville Macdonald of the Isles (15th Baronet)), changing their surname to "Chamberlayne-Macdonald". Major Chamberlayne-Macdonald died on 15 August 2013. The family are still resident at Cranbury Park.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the house was briefly the base for Canadian troops prior to their embarkation for the
Normandy landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
.
The house
![Cranbury House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Cranbury_House.jpg)
The present-day house was built in 1780 for
Thomas Dummer
Thomas Dummer (1739–1781) was an English Member of Parliament for Newport (Isle of Wight) (1765–1768), Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) (1769–1774), Downton in Wiltshire (1774), Wendover in Buckinghamshire (1775–1780) and Lymington in Hampshi ...
and his wife, to the designs of
George Dance the Younger
George Dance the Younger RA (1 April 1741 – 14 January 1825) was an English architect and surveyor as well as a portraitist.
The fifth and youngest son of the architect George Dance the Elder, he came from a family of architects, artists a ...
. The house is built in red brick with stone dressings. The entrance is through a
porte-cochère
A porte-cochère (; , late 17th century, literally 'coach gateway'; plural: porte-cochères, portes-cochères) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like ...
either side of which are large columned windows flanked by columns, set in arch-headed reserves, with roundels in relief in each
tympanum and above the porch. All the other windows of both floors repeat the
Venetian window
A Venetian window (also known as a Serlian window) is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian a ...
motif which was added along with balustrade by Thomas Chamberlayne in the 1830s.
Balustrade
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...
s surmounted by urns run around the parapet, framing the whole house to give a very pleasing prospect within the landscape.
Of the interior,
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
wrote that it was an "unforgettable experience" to behold the hall with its coffered tunnel-vaults to the full height of the house and the beautiful ballroom.
There is a starfish vault derived from the tombs of the ancients. The main rooms are arranged around a central hall and staircase, and there is a good deal of fine plaster decoration in the William Kent style, especially in the drawing room on the south front. The ballroom designed by George Dance the younger has a circular domed ceiling.
The library was designed by
John Buonarotti Papworth
John Buonarotti Papworth (24 January 1775 – 16 June 1847) was a British architect, artist and a founder member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
He adopted the middle name "Buonarotti" in around 1815.
As well as being active in ...
for Thomas Chamberlayne in about 1830.
Writing in 1898,
John Keble
John Keble (25 April 1792 – 29 March 1866) was an English Anglican priest and poet who was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford, was named after him.
Early life
Keble was born on 25 April 1792 in Fairford, Glouce ...
described the house thus:
The house was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
in 1984, and is Grade I.
The estate
![Cranbury Park 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Cranbury_Park_03.jpg)
The house stands on a hill at 85 metres above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
and from the extensive grounds beautiful views are obtained of Southampton Water and the Isle of Wight to the south.
The extensive pleasure grounds were laid out in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by
John Papworth
John Papworth (12 December 1921 – 4 July 2020) was an English clergyman, writer and activist against big public and private organizations and for small communities and enterprises.
Life and work
Born in London in December 1921, Papworth was ...
, and include fountains, a rose garden, specimen trees and
pinetum, the lakeside walk and the fern walk.
The
folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings.
Eighteenth-cent ...
known as "The Castle", built from material plundered from
Netley Abbey
(Happy Place), Lieu-Saint-Edward, Letley
, order= Cistercians
, established= 1239
, disestablished= 1536/7
, mother= Beaulieu Abbey
, diocese= Diocese of Winchester
, founder= Peter des Roches and Henry III
, dedication= Virgin Mary and ...
, is situated in the southern corner of the park.
A stream rises in the park passing through the Upper and Lower Ponds, close to The Castle. From here it passes through
Hiltingbury
Hiltingbury is an area within the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest ...
Lake, then under Merdon Avenue in
Chandler's Ford
Chandler's Ford (originally The Ford and historically Chandlersford) is a largely residential area and civil parish in the Eastleigh (borough), Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It has a population of 21,436 in the 2011 UK Census.
Cha ...
, before joining
Monks Brook
Monks Brook is a river in the English county of Hampshire. It is a tributary of the River Itchen, which it joins at a medieval salmon pool in Swaythling. The brook is formed from seven streams that rise in the chalky South Downs, with the of ...
. Between the Upper Pond and The Castle is the campsite of the Chandler's Ford & District
Scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
Group.
The park is included on the
Register of Historic Parcs and Gardens and Grade II*.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cranbury Park
Country parks in Hampshire
Gardens in Hampshire
Country houses in Hampshire
Isaac Newton
Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire