Mayfield Park is a recreational area straddling
Woolston
Woolston may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Woolston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish in Warrington
* Woolston, Devon, on the list of United Kingdom locations: Woof-Wy near Kingsbridge, Devon
* Woolston, Southampton, a city suburb in Ham ...
and
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
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 ...
, England. The stream that runs through the park is the boundary between the two districts of modern
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 ...
.
The park is owned and maintained by
Southampton City Council
Southampton City Council is the local authority of the city of Southampton. It is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local ...
. It was previously part of the
Chamberlayne family's ''Weston Grove'' estate. Much of the rest of the ''Weston Grove'' estate has been used to develop the post-war suburb of
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
. Mayfield Park survives because it was split from the ''Weston Grove'' estate in the nineteenth century, becoming the ''Mayfield Estate''.
History
18th century: wood-working mill
The park straddles a stream which runs from nearby
Miller's Pond, through a valley within the park, naturally draining the higher ground of the
Hampshire Basin
The Hampshire Basin is a geological basin of Palaeogene age in southern England, underlying parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and Sussex. Like the London Basin to the northeast, it is filled with sands and clays of Paleocene and yo ...
on the East 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 ...
into
Southampton Water
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed wes ...
. In 1762,
Walter Taylor built a water-powered wood-working mill alongside this stream.
[Southampton City Council. Mayfield Park Leaflet] ''Millers pond'' was formed to provide a reservoir to supply this mill.
The mill site was rebuilt as a private house in the 19th century, but this suffered bomb damage during
World War II
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 ...
and was abandoned.
[ The site has subsequently been excavated by Southampton City Council's Archeological Unit.
]
19th century: politics
The park was previously part of William Chamberlayne's
Weston Grove Estate.[ In 1810, Chamberlayne erected a memorial to Whig politician ]Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...
. This takes the form of a Portland Stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...
Obelisk, situated on the highest point of the estate where a windmill once stood.[Spike Island. Philip Hoare. ] Chamberlayne was later to become MP for the 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 ...
constituency, from 1818–1830.
In 1854, Thomas Chamberlayne sold part of the estate to Col. Robert Wright (after whom nearby Wrights Hill was named), who built Mayfield House there, establishing the Mayfield Estate.[ Col Wright subsequently dedicated the Obelisk to two of his favourite horses,][ who are buried in the park.
From 1889 to 1913, Mayfield House and the estate was owned by Granville Augustus William Waldegrave, 3rd ]Lord Radstock
Baron Radstock, of Castletown, County Laois, Castletown in the County Laois, Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, William Waldegrave. ...
.[Lord Radstock and the Russian Awakening. David Fountain. (Publ Southampton: Mayflower Christian Books, 1988) ] He had previously worked as a missionary in Russia in the 1870s.[ During his tenure of the Mayfield Estate Lord Radstock added the inscription to the Obelisk, which reads "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof – Psalms 24.1"][
]
20th century: wartime, development and the end of a dynasty
On the death of the 3rd Lord Radstock
Baron Radstock, of Castletown, County Laois, Castletown in the County Laois, Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, William Waldegrave. ...
, in 1913, the title and the ''Mayfield'' estate passed to Granville George Waldegrave, 4th Baron Radstock (1859–1937).
During 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 ...
, Mayfield House was used to nurse wounded soldiers,[ serving as an annexe to the ]Royal Victoria Military Hospital
The Royal Victoria Hospital or Netley Hospital was a large military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some controversy, chiefly from ...
at 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 ...
.[
The consequences of ]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 ...
meant that many such estates in England were never the same again. A generation of young men were lost in the conflict, including the younger heirs to these estates and many of the men who worked in them.
On the death of the 4th Lord Radstock
Baron Radstock, of Castletown, County Laois, Castletown in the County Laois, Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, William Waldegrave. ...
, in 1937, the title was inherited by his 70-year-old brother Montague Waldegrave, 5th Baron Radstock
Montague Waldegrave, 5th Baron Radstock (15 July 1867 – 17 September 1953) was the second son of Granville Waldegrave, 3rd Baron Radstock and his wife, Susan Charlotte Calcroft.
Early life and education
Radstock was educated at Monkton Combe ...
(1867–1953). As the family was no longer able to maintain the ''Mayfield'' estate, it was sold to Southampton City Council.[ A covenant in the 4th Barons will requires it to be kept as an open space][The Illustrated History of Southamptons suburbs. Jim Brown. 2004. ]
During World War II
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 ...
, displaced residents of Southampton were temporarily housed in Mayfield House.[ This building had 40 rooms, 23 of which were bedrooms][
In 1944, the area was used to assemble troops and equipment during the build-up to ]D-Day
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 D ...
.
Southampton City Council used part of the ''Weston Grove'' Estate to meet the demand for new housing after World War II
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 ...
, creating the Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
Housing Estate. Weston Park Boys and Girls schools were built in 1957.
The title died out with the 5th Lord Radstock
Baron Radstock, of Castletown, County Laois, Castletown in the County Laois, Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, William Waldegrave. ...
in 1953.
Mayfield House was demolished a few years later, in 1956.[
]
Legacy
Chamberlayne Road, Radstock Road, Wrights Hill, Gordon Terrace, Tankerville Road (named after Tankerville Chamberlayne
Tankerville Chamberlayne (9 August 1843 – 17 May 1924) was a landowner in Hampshire and a member of parliament, serving the Southampton constituency three times, as an Independent and Conservative. He was deprived of his seat after the 1895 ge ...
), Weston Grove Road, Obelisk Road and ''The Obelisk'' public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
can all be found locally to Mayfield Park.
An annexe to Woolston School
Woolston School Language College was a secondary comprehensive school in Southampton, Hampshire, in southern England. The last Ofsted inspection was on 10 October 2006. The school was a Specialist Language College for students that were 11 t ...
, situated in Portsmouth Road, was also named Mayfield House. This building was not the original house on the ''Mayfield Estate'', it merely shared its name.
The Chamberlayne Leisure Centre was opened in April 2000.[Southampton City Council]
Weston Park Boys school has been renamed the Grove Park Business and Enterprise College and more recently Oasis Academy Mayfield
Oasis Academy Mayfield is a city academy in Southampton, England, run by Oasis Community Learning (a foundation established by the Oasis Trust) with approximately 900 pupils.
The Academy was established in 2008, when two local secondary schoo ...
Weston Park Girls school was renamed the ''Chamberlayne Park School'' and then Chamberlayne College for the Arts. However the school is now known as Weston Secondary School
Weston Secondary School is a coeducational secondary school located in the Weston, Southampton, Weston area of Southampton, in the English county of Hampshire.
History
Weston Park Girls' School opened in 1957. Nearby was Weston Park Boys' Scho ...
.
See also
*Baron Radstock
Baron Radstock, of Castletown in the Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave. He was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave (see Earl Wal ...
*Waldegrave family
Waldegrave is the name of an English family, said to derive from Walgrave in Northamptonshire, who long held the manor of Smallbridge in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk.
History
Sir Richard Waldegrave served as a Knight of the Shire in 1339 in Linc ...
*Oasis Academy Mayfield
Oasis Academy Mayfield is a city academy in Southampton, England, run by Oasis Community Learning (a foundation established by the Oasis Trust) with approximately 900 pupils.
The Academy was established in 2008, when two local secondary schoo ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Mayfield Park
Balliol Oxford, Jowett papers (mention of Lord Radstock and Mayfield)
Monuments and memorials in Hampshire
Obelisks in England
Geography of Southampton
Parks and open spaces in Hampshire