The Engineers House is a historic building, previously known as Camp House, on The Promenade,

Clifton Down Clifton Down is an area of public open space in Bristol, England, north of the village of Clifton. With its neighbour Durdham Down to the northeast, it constitutes the large area known as The Downs, much used for leisure including walking and ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. It has been designated as a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It was built in 1831 by Charles Dyer for

Charles Pinney Charles Pinney (29 April 179317 July 1867) was a British merchant and local politician in Bristol, England. He was a partner in a family business that ran sugar plantations in the West Indies and owned a number of slaves. Pinney was selected as ma ...

, who became mayor of Bristol, serving during the

Reform Bill In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

riots of 1831. The neoclassical two-storey

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

building has a symmetrical front in the centre of which is a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

ed portico with tuscan on ionic columns with a balcony above. It is now used as offices, a training centre and a conference venue. In 2015 it achieved a green charter mark for the way in which energy and waste are managed to reduce the carbon footprint of the building.

Early residents

Charles Pinney (1793-1867) built Engineers House in 1831 shortly after his marriage. He was born in 1793 in

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton D ...

. His father was John Preter who had adopted the name Pinney when he inherited their numerous estates. Charles became a merchant and in 1831 was elected as Mayor of

. He held this office during the riots caused by the rejection of the

in the House of Commons. In 1830 he married Frances Mary, fourth daughter of John Still of Knoyle,

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 ...

. The couple had two sons and one daughter. They lived at Engineers House for the rest of their lives. Frances died in 1860 and Charles in 1867. After his death the property was advertised for sale. The advertisement is shown. The house was purchased by Richard Drake and sold five years later in 1872 to Henry Thomas Bridges. Henry Thomas Bridges (1802-1882) was a West India merchant and landowner. He was born in 1803 in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. His father was Captain Richard Bridges of the Royal Navy. In 1837 he married Clara Greenly Coulson who was the daughter of John Colston Coulson, solicitor of Clifton Wood,

. The couple had three sons and two daughters. The 1881 Census records the family living at Engineers House with several members of their family, a butler, a footman, a housekeeper, a lady's maid, two house maids, a kitchen maid and a child's maid. Henry died in 1882 and the house was sold in the following year. The sale advertisement is shown at this reference. In the 1890s the house became a high class finishing school for girls. Miss Selina Ann Evans (1840-1903) was the headmistress. After she died in 1903 Ernest Charles Philp became the owner of the house.

Later residents

Ernest Charles Philp (1856-1939) lived with his family in the house for the next thirty five years. He was the Chairman of Messrs Rowe Brothers and Co which was a manufacturer of lead ware, brass taps and other kitchen and bathroom products. Their factory called Rowes Leadworks in Anchor Square

still exists today. His wife was Emma Jane Rowe (1856-1927), the daughter of Thomas Rowe, a director of the leadworks company. The couple had two sons and a daughter. After Ernest died in 1939 the house was sold. By 1949 the house had been acquired by Richard Ramsey Garden, an ophthalmic surgeon who practiced in Bristol. He died in 1966.The Medical Journal of the South-West, Volumes 72-73, p. 151
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References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Clifton, Bristol Country houses in Bristol Culture in Bristol Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol Grade II* listed houses Houses completed in 1831