Donnington Grove is a

Strawberry Hill Gothic Strawberry Hill House—often called simply Strawberry Hill—is a Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival villa that was built in Twickenham, London, by Horace Walpole (1717–1797) from 1749 onward. It is a typical example of the "#Strawb ...

mansion, now a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

and

country club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offer ...

, and associated

Golf Course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

at Donnington in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Shaw-cum-Donnington Shaw-cum-Donnington is a civil parish in West Berkshire, England with all of its urban or suburban area immediately north of the largest town in the district, Newbury. It comprises the villages of Shaw and Donnington and contains the partia ...

, near Newbury, in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. It is overlooked by

Donnington Castle Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386 and was bought by Thoma ...

History

Donnington Grove was built in 1763 for

James Pettit Andrews James Pettit Andrews (1737– 6 August 1797) was an English historian and antiquary. Life He was the younger son of Joseph Andrews of Shaw House, near Newbury in Berkshire, and his second wife Elizabeth Pettit; Sir Joseph Andrews, 1st Bar ...

the half-brother of the lord of Shaw Manor. The Grove was built in "Strawberry Hill Gothic" a style named after the house created for

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

at Strawberry Hill in London. Records show that Donnington House was expensive to construct and costly to maintain. Twenty years later Andrews sold the property to William Brummell who was responsible for turning Donnington Grove into the landscape it is today and here that his son,

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...

, grew up. By the time Brummell died, the estate covered , the house and stables had been extended and entrance lodges erected. William Brummell died in 1794 and left the estate to be divided amongst his children. After the estate was requisitioned by Allied Supplies in 1940 it was sold on to the Hon Reginald Fellows, second husband of

Daisy Fellowes Daisy Fellowes (''née'' Marguerite Séverine Philippine Decazes de Glücksberg; 29 April 1890, in Paris – 13 December 1962, in Paris) was a prominent French socialite, acclaimed beauty, minor novelist and poet, Paris editor of American ''Harp ...

, heiress to the

Singer sewing machine Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Singer, Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward Cabot Clark, Edward C. Clark. Best known for its sewing mac ...

fortunes, and remained in the family until the early 1990s. Donnington Grove Country Club opened in 1993. For some years in the early 2000s, it was called 'Parasampia', but the name has returned to its traditional form.

Donnington Grove Country Club

The course opened in 1993 and the architect was

Dave Thomas Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * Dave (film), ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * Dave (musical), ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital ...

, the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

player who was responsible for several courses such as the Brabazon at the Belfry and Bowood in Wiltshire. The course is well known for the change in character across its 18 holes: the front 9 are on notably higher ground whilst the back 9 are in classic parkland with an abundance of trees and water hazards.

References

Royal Berkshire History: Donnington GroveGoogle Timelines: Donnington GroveOfficial WebsiteToday's Golfer: Donnington Grove
{{coord, 51.41779, N, 1.34207, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title West Berkshire District Country houses in Berkshire Golf clubs and courses in Berkshire Hotels in Berkshire Gothic Revival architecture in Berkshire Sport in Newbury, Berkshire Country house hotels