Greenham Hall is a country house at

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

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_ ...

. It was once the home of Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Kelly. It 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 ...

. Originally known as Tremlett House, the main building was constructed in 1848 for Thomas Edward Clarke, a solicitor. It was acquired by the Chapman family in 1880, by Admiral Sir John Kelly in 1920 and was then used as a collecting point for army units 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 ...

. It was bought by the Norman family shortly after the war and then by Henry Ayre in 1970. It is still owned by the Ayre family and became a hotel in 1985.

History

The Reverend Thomas Clarke purchased Tremlett House, as it was then known, in 1696. The house was inherited by Clarke's grandson, Thomas Edward Clarke, a lawyer, in 1840. In 1846 Clarke married Georgina Mary Hall. The couple had four sons and five daughters. Thomas Edward Clarke had the main building rebuilt in 1848. In 1864 Thomas Edward Clarke put the house up for sale and the advertisement is shown. The next residents of the house were the Manley family. Henry Francis Manley was born in 1830 in

Weeford Weeford is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. According to the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 215, an increase from 202 in the 2001 Census. The name ''Weeford'' is believed to come from ...

Staffordshire. His father was John Shawe Manley of Manley Hall in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

and Braziers in Oxfordshire. Henry worked in the Diplomatic Service for many years and in 1871 published a book about his life as a Diplomat called “A continental tour: together with notes and anecdotes of diplomatic life”. In about 1875 Charles Chapman (1818-1894) bought Greenham Hall. Charles had humble beginnings but became very wealthy. When he was a young man he immigrated to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and became an oil merchant. He built a very profitable business and, having sold his business, used his wealth to buy Greenham Hall in the 1870s. Charles died in 1894 and his three sons inherited his property in England. Major George Alexander Chapman (1850-1924) the eldest son appears to be the owner of Greenham Hall. He lived there with his wife Amy Parker Jenkins and his children for many years. The house was sold in about 1920 to Admiral Sir John Kelly who had become Director of Operations at the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

the previous year. Kelly died in 1936 and his wife Maisie died a year later in 1937. Their daughter Antonia Kelly inherited Greenham Hall. The house was used as a collecting point for army units during the

. Antonia Kelly sold it in 1946 shortly before her marriage to David St Clair Erskine.Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser - Saturday 02 November 1946, p. 7 It was bought by the Norman family and in 1970 passed to the Ayre family. Greenham Hall is still owned by the Ayre family who since 1985 have provided bed and breakfast accommodation.

References

External links

Greenham Hall website
{{coord, 50.97307, N, 3.31728, W, region:GB-BKM_type:landmark, display=title Country houses in Somerset Grade II listed buildings in Taunton Deane Houses completed in 1848