Eagle House is 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 ...

Batheaston Batheaston is a village and civil parish east of the English city of Bath, on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish had a population of 2,735 in 2011. The northern area of the parish, on the road to St Catherine, is an area known as No ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, near Bath. Before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the house had extensive grounds. When

Emily Blathwayt Emily Marion Blathwayt (née Rose; 1852 – 1940) was a British suffragette and mother of Mary Blathwayt. She and her husband, Linley, a retired Colonel from the Indian Army lived at Eagle House in Somerset and established a welcome and garden ...

and her husband Colonel Linley Blathwayt owned the house, its summerhouse was used, from 1909 to 1912, as a refuge for suffragettes who had been released from prison after hunger strikes. It became known as the Suffragette's Rest or Suffragette's Retreat. Emily Blathwayt was a suffragette and member of the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership an ...

. Between April 1909 and July 1911, trees were planted in the grounds to commemorate individual suffragettes; at least 47 were planted in a two-acre (8094 m²) site. Known as Annie's Arboretum, after

Annie Kenney Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie ...

, the trees were destroyed in the 1960s when a council estate was built. Only one tree, an

Australian Pine ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fam ...

planted in 1909 by Rose Lamartine Yates, remains.

Architecture and history

The two-storey bath stone house has

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

quoins and a slate roof. There is an ionic doorcase with columns either side supporting 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 pedimen ...

. The south side is of five bays while the east has three. The interior includes an 18th-century staircase and fireplace. In the garden is a former chapel with an early 19th century window featuring

tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the ...

The house was built in the late 17th or early 18th century, then remodelled in 1724 and again in 1729 by the architect John Wood, the Elder as his own house. The house was later associated with his son

John Wood, the Younger John Wood, the Younger (25 February 1728 – 18 June 1782) was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He was the son of the architect John Wood, the Elder. His designs were highly influential during the 18t ...

. In 1882 Eagle House became home to Colonel Linley Blathwayt, his wife Emily, and their children William and

Mary Blathwayt Mary Blathwayt (1 February 1879 – 25 June 1961) was a British feminist, suffragette and social reformer. She lived at Eagle House in Somerset. This house became known as the "Suffragette's Rest" and contained a memorial to the protests of ...

. Linley Blathwayt had been a Colonel in the army in India and moved into the house when he retired. He had interests in insects and in photography. Emily Blathwayt's interest was in the garden and they had an extensive library of books, including hundreds on botany and nature.

Women's suffrage

Suffragettes_Annie_Kenney,_Mary_Blathwayt_and_Emmeline_Pankhurst,_Eagle_House,_Batheaston_1910

Emily and Mary Blathwayt began attending meetings of the

Bath Women's Suffrage Society Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. In 1906 they gave three shillings to the

(WSPU). Mary met

at a Women's Social and Political Union meeting in Bath, and she agreed to help Kenney,

Elsie Howey Rose Elsie Neville Howey (1 December 1884 – 13 March 1963), known as Elsie Howey, was an English suffragette. She was a militant activist with the Women's Social and Political Union and was jailed at least six times between 1908 and 1912. Earl ...

Clara Codd Clara Margaret Codd (10 October 1876 – 3 April 1971) was a British writer, suffragette, socialist feminist, and theosophist. She went to jail for the suffragettes and then devoted her life to the Theosophical Society. Life Codd was born in ...

and Mary Phillips organise a local women's suffrage campaign. Mary was given an allowance by her family to support her in her work for women's rights. On 28 April 1909, Emily Blathwayt wrote in her diary that "the idea of a field of trees grows". The site chosen was a two-acre field on the side of

Solsbury Hill Little Solsbury Hill (more commonly known as Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill and the site of an Iron Age hill fort, above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. The hill rises to above the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon ...

. This was not to be a simple wood or even an arboretum, but a peaceful place for recovering women to walk and relax. They planted individual trees, holly trees to celebrate women working for the cause whereas those militant women who had been imprisoned were celebrated with a particular conifer. Each had a different species and floral rings were planted around each tree. The planting was achieved by a visit from the suffragette who then posed, often with one of the Blathwayts, by a purpose made lead plaque. This was photographed by Colonel Lindley and he would also capture a portrait of the suffragette. These portraits were signed and card versions sold at the WSPU shop in Bath. Blathwayt's diary also includes details of the sexual relationships between some participants of the movement which took place at Eagle House. Eagle House became an important refuge for

suffragettes A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

who had been released from prison after hunger strikes. Each tree was planted to commemorate each woman - at least 47 trees were planted between April 1909 and July 1911, including Emmeline Pankhurst,

Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, (; 22 September 1880 – 13 February 1958) was a British suffragette born in Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bord ...

Charlotte Despard Charlotte Despard (née French; 15 June 1844 – 10 November 1939) was an Anglo-Irish suffragist, socialist, pacifist, Sinn Féin activist, and novelist. She was a founding member of the Women's Freedom League, Women's Peace Crusade, and the ...

Millicent Fawcett Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett (née Garrett; 11 June 1847 – 5 August 1929) was an English politician, writer and feminist. She campaigned for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, women's suffrage by Law reform, legal change and in 1897– ...

and Lady Lytton. Key activists from the suffragette movement were invited to stay at her house and to plant a tree to celebrate a prison sentence, or to mark having been on hunger strike. The trees were known as "Annie's Arboreatum" after Annie Kenney. There was also a "Pankhurst Pond" within the grounds. When Vera Wentworth and

assaulted

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

(the Prime Minister), this proved too much for the Blathwayt family. The Blathwayts were also distressed by arson and other attacks on property carried out by the suffragettes, including one near Eagle House.

resigned from the WSPU and Linley Blathwayt wrote letters of protest to

, Howey and Wentworth. Pankhurst was told that Howey and Wentworth could not visit their house again. Wentworth sent them a long reply expressing regret at their reaction but noting that "if Mr. Asquith will not receive deputation they will pummel him again".

Annie's Arboretum listing

''This list was translated from German wikipedia which refers to the online archive of'' Bath in Time which shows the layout, images of individual women and their trees. The list is reproduced here: *

Laura Ainsworth Laura Frances Ainsworth (1885 – 1958) was a British teacher and suffragette. She was employed by the Women's Social and Political Union and was one of the first suffragettes to be force-fed. She left the WSPU in 1912 in protest at the ejection ...

(1885-1958) planted a blue-green cultivar of Lawson's cypress ( ''Cupressus lawsoniana 'Wisselii ) on 30 April 1911 . * Lady Elizabeth 'Betty' Balfour (1867–1942) planted a cultivated form of the European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Scotch Gold Holly ) on 11 February 1910 . *

Georgina Brackenbury Georgina "Ina" Agnes Brackenbury (1 July 1865 – 27 July 1949) was a British painter who was known as a militant suffragette. She was jailed for demonstrating for women's rights. She followed Emmeline Pankhurst's lead as she became more militant ...

(1865–1949) planted a yellow

Monterey cypress ''Hesperocyparis macrocarpa'' is a coniferous tree. It is commonly known as the Monterey cypress and is one of several species of cypress trees endemic to California. The Monterey cypress is found naturally only on the Central Coast of Califor ...

( ''Cupressus macrocarpa 'Lutea ) on 22 July 1909 . * Marie Brackenbury (1866–1950) planted a cultivated form of Lawson's cypress ( ''Cupressus lawsoniana 'Filifera ) on 22 July 1909 . * Millicent Browne (1881–1975) planted a variegated variety of European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata ) on 4 July 1909 . * Florence Canning (died 1914) planted a yellow-leaved variety of Lawson's cypress ( ''Cupressus lawsoniana 'Aureo-Variegata ) on 25 April 1909 . *

(1877–1971) planted a columnar yew on 25 April 1909 ( ''Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata ). * Nellie Crocker (1872–1962) planted a magnificent fir ( ''

Abies magnifica ''Abies magnifica'', the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at elevation, though only rare ...

'' ) on 7 February 1911 . *

(1844–1939) planted a variegated type of European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Medio-Picta ) on 17 January 1911 . * Una Dugdale (1879–1975) planted a Chilean araucaria on 7 February 1911 ( '' Araucaria imbricata'' ). *

(1847–1929) planted a large-fruited variety of European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Macrocarpa ) on 3 July 1910 . *

Theresa Garnett Theresa Garnett (17 May 1888 – 24 May 1966) was a British suffragette. She was a serial protester who sometimes went by the name 'Annie O'Sullivan', was jailed and then still refused to cooperate. She assaulted Winston Churchill while carryin ...

(1888–1966) planted a gold yew on 7 November 1909 ( ''Taxus baccata 'Elegantissima ). * Margaret Hewitt planted a white-fringed variety of the European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Albo Marginata ) on 3 October 1909 . *

Vera Holme Vera Louise Holme, also known as Jack Holme (29 August 1881 – 1 January 1969), was a British actress and a suffragette. She was known as the Pankhursts' chauffeur. Early life Holme was born in Birkdale, Lancashire, England. Her parents were ...

(1881–1969) planted a variegated variety of European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Aurea Marginata ) on 9 May 1909 . *

(1884–1963) planted a

Nordmann fir ''Abies nordmanniana'', the Nordmann fir or Caucasian fir, is a fir indigenous to the mountains south and east of the Black Sea, in Turkey, Georgia and the Russian Caucasus. It occurs at altitudes of 900–2,200 m on mountains with precipi ...

( ''Abies nordmanniana'' ) on 2 May 1909 . *

Maud Joachim Maud Joachim (1869 – 1947) was born in 1869 and was educated at Girton College., she was one of the groups of suffragettes that fought to grant women the right to vote in the U.K., she was jailed several times for her protests. Activism She ...

(1869–1947) planted a Hiba tree of life ( ''

Thujopsis dolabrata ''Thujopsis'' () is a genus of conifers in the cypress family ( Cupressaceae), the sole member of which is ''Thujopsis dolabrata''. It is endemic to Japan, where it is named ''asunaro'' (). It is similar to the closely related genus ''Thuja'' ...

'' ) on 17 June 1910 . * Winifred Jones (died 1955) planted a Colorado fir ( ''Abies concolor'' ) on 2 July 1911 . *

Gladice Keevil Gladice Georgina Keevil (later Mrs Rickford; 1884 – 1959) was a British suffragette who served as head of the Midlands office of the Women's Social and Political Union between 1908 and 1910. Early life Gladice was born and had her chi ...

(1884-1959) planted the

blue spruce The blue spruce (''Picea pungens''), also commonly known as green spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7. It is found naturall ...

species (''Picea pungens 'Kosteriana')'' on 4 November 1910. *

(1879–1953) planted a silvery cultivated form of the false cypress ( ''

Cupressus lawsoniana ''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'', known as Port Orford cedar or Lawson cypress, is a species of conifer in the genus '' Chamaecyparis'', family Cupressaceae. It is native to Oregon and northwestern California, and grows from sea level up to in t ...

'Silver Queen ) on 23 April 1909 . * Caroline "Kitty" Kenney (1880–1952) planted a variegated variety of European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Aurea Picta Crispa ) on 25 August 1910 . * Jessica "Jessie" Kenney (1887–1985) planted a maned juniper ( ''

Juniperus virginiana ''Juniperus virginiana'', also known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico a ...

'Pendula ) on 9 May 1909 *

Aeta Lamb Aeta Adelaide Lamb (1886–June 1928) was one of the longest serving organizers in the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), the leading militant organization campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. Early life and education ...

(1886–1928) planted a columnar yew on 16 April 1911 ( ''Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata ). * Lady

Constance Lytton Lady Constance Georgina Bulwer-Lytton (12 February 1869 – 2 May 1923), usually known as Constance Lytton, was an influential British suffragette activist, writer, speaker and campaigner for prison reform, votes for women, and birth control. Sh ...

(1869–1923) planted a blue cypress ( '' Chamaecyparis alumii'' ) on 23 April 1909 . *

Charlotte Marsh Charlotte Augusta Leopoldine Marsh (3 March 1887 – 21 April 1961), known as Charlie Marsh, was a militant British suffragette. She was a paid organiser of the Women's Social and Political Union and is one of the first women to be force fed d ...

(1887–1961) planted a spruce ( ''Picea polita'' ) on 5 March 1911 . * Clara Mordan (1844–1915) planted a variegated variety of European holly on 27 February 1910 ( ''Ilex aquifolium ( English small leaved silver holly )'' ). * Marie Naylor (1850–1940) planted a rocky mountain fir on 9 April 1910 ( ''Abies subalpina'' ). *

Adela Pankhurst Adela Constantia Mary Walsh ( Pankhurst; 19 June 1885 – 23 May 1961) was a British born suffragette who worked as a political organiser for the Women's Social and Political Union, WSPU in Scotland. In 1914 she moved to Australia where she con ...

(1885–1961) planted a yellow Himalayan cedar ( ''

Cedrus deodara ''Cedrus deodara'', the deodar cedar, Himalayan cedar, or deodar, is a species of cedar native to the Himalayas. Description It is a large evergreen coniferous tree reaching tall, exceptionally with a trunk up to in diameter. It has a conic ...

'Aurea ) on 3 July 1910 . *

(1880–1958) planted a

Lebanon cedar ''Cedrus libani'', the cedar of Lebanon or Lebanese cedar (), is a species of tree in the genus cedrus, a part of the pine family, native to the mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean basin. It is a large evergreen conifer that has great relig ...

( ''Cedrus libani'' ) on 6 November 1910 . * Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) planted a Himalayan cedar ( ''Cedrus deodora'' ) on 16 April 1910 . * Alice Perkins (1865–1948) planted a variegated variety of European holly ( ''Ilex aquifolium 'Aurea Regina ) on 4 September 1910 . *

Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, Baroness Pethick-Lawrence (; 21 October 1867 – 11 March 1954) was a British women's rights activist and suffragette. Early life Pethick-Lawrence was born in Bristol as Emmeline Pethick. Her father, Henry Pethick, ...

(1867–1954) planted a giant tree of life ( ''

Thuja ''Thuja'' ( ) is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to ''Thujopsis''. M ...

lobbii'' ) on 23 April 1909 . * Mary Phillips planted a blue spruce ( ''Picea pungens 'Glauca ) on 4 July 1909 . *

Katherine Douglas Smith Katherine Douglas Smith (1878 – after 1947) was a militant British suffragette and from 1908 a paid organiser of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). She was also a member of the International Suffrage Club. Activism Douglas Smit ...

planted a mountain Douglas fir ( ''Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Glauca ) on 18 February 1910 . *

Marion Wallace-Dunlop Marion Wallace Dunlop (22 December 1864 – 12 September 1942) was a Scottish artist and author. She was the first and one of the most well known British suffragettes to go on hunger strike, on 5 July 1909, after being arrested in July 1909 f ...

(1865–1942) planted a

mountain hemlock ''Tsuga mertensiana'', known as mountain hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, found between Southcentral Alaska and south-central California. Description ''Tsuga mertensiana'' is a large evergreen conifer ...

on 11 June 1910 ( ''Tsuga mertensiana'' ). * Helen Kirkpatrick Watts (1881–1972) planted a

common juniper ''Juniperus communis'', the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. An evergreen conifer, it has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the c ...

( ''Juniperus communis'' ) on 17 March 1911 . * Vera Wentworth (1890–1957) planted a

Nootka cypress ''Callitropsis nootkatensis'', formerly known as ''Cupressus nootkatensis'' ( syn. ''Xanthocyparis nootkatensis'') is a species of trees in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many ...

( ''Chamaecyparis nootkatensis'' ) on 4 July 1909 . * Edith Wheelwright (1868–1949) planted the holly variety ''Ilex aquifolium 'Handsworthensis on 10 October 1910 . * Lillian Dove Willcox (1875–1963) planted a

Caucasian spruce ''Picea orientalis'', commonly known as the Oriental spruce or Caucasian spruce, is a species of spruce native to the Caucasus and adjacent northeast Turkey. Description It is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 30–45 m tall or ...

( ''Picea orientalis'' ) in 1910 . * Rose Lamartine Yates (1875–1954) planted an Austrian black pine ( '' Pinus nigra nigra'' ) on 30 October 1909 .

Legacy

Annie's arboretum and the Suffragettes' Nest at Eagle House, Batheaston c

The

Town and Country Planning Act 1947 The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. VI c. 51) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed by the Labour government led by Clement Attlee. It came into effect on 1 July 1948, and along with the Town and Country Plannin ...

contained provision for woodland of historic importance to be preserved but the importance of this site was never identified. In fact Somerset Archaeological Society was consulted over a planning application and they noted that the grounds were "not very attractive". In 1961 the Local Planning Authority overruled local objections which did not mention the garden. The house was kept but its contents were auctioned and this included a Boadicea brooch given by Annie Kenney to Mary Blathwayt. The garden did not completely go unnoticed as a local journalist noted that the contents of the house were unimportant when compared to the suffragette's garden. The trees in "Annie's Arboretum" were removed to make way for a housing estate in about 1965.

Helen Watts Helen Watts (7 December 19277 October 2009) was a Welsh contralto. Early life Helen Josephine Watts was born in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Her father was a pharmacist, Tom Watts and moved to live above his shop at 26 Market Street, Ha ...

wrote one of the last known accounts of "Annies Arboretum" at Eagle House. She returned to see the spot where she was honoured in 1911. She visited in 1962 and took another sprig of juniper as a souvenir, having carried one with her for fifty years, she said. The local newspaper reported that she could not find her plaque but she did find 'stout trees' and with the aid of Colonel Blathwayt's photo she identified "her" juniper. One of the trees, an Australian Pine, remains. It was planted by Rose Lamartine Yates in 1909. In 2011 it was announced that the trees would be replaced with new ones in Bath at the Royal Victoria Park, Alice Park and

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The insti ...

. In 2018, herbaria leaves, at least 100 years old from pressed branches of five trees from Annie's Arboretum were identified in the archives of the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

. These include samples from the trees planted by Annie Kenney, Lady Constance Lytton and Christabel Pankhurst. The archives had had them donated in 1994 by Annie Kenney's family. Specialists from

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

advised how the branches could be preserved. The University of East Anglia intended to produce an online anthology with writers, schoolchildren and students from Norfolk, on the life stories of the women who lost their memorial trees in Annie's Arboretum. The house has been divided into four apartments.

Architecture and history

Women's suffrage

Annie's Arboretum listing

Legacy

References

Further reading