Oare House is a Grade I listed
country house in
Oare, Wiltshire, England.
The house was built in 1740 for a London wine merchant,
Henry Deacon.
It was largely remodelled in the early 1920s by the architect
Clough Williams-Ellis
Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC (28 May 1883 – 9 April 1978) was a Welsh architect known chiefly as the creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales. He became a major figure in the development of Welsh architec ...
, for
Sir Geoffrey Fry, 1st Baronet
Sir Geoffrey Storrs Fry, 1st Baronet, (27 July 1888 – 1960) was private secretary to prime ministers Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin, and a member of the Fry family.
Early life
Geoffrey Storrs Fry was born on 27 July 1888. He was the younger s ...
, private secretary to
Bonar Law and
Stanley Baldwin.
Its gardens, which include a summerhouse also designed by Williams-Ellis, are listed Grade II on the
Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. To the west of the gardens stands the
Oare Pavilion, completed in 2003 and the only British building designed by
I. M. Pei
Ieoh Ming Pei
– website of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
.
In 1965 Oare House was purchased by Sir
Alick Downer
Sir Alexander Russell "Alick" Downer (7 April 1910 – 30 March 1981) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1949 and 1963, representing the Liberal Party, and served as Minister for ...
, the
Australian High Commissioner, who used it to entertain high ranking figures in English and Australian society.
It is currently owned by
Sir Henry Keswick.
References
1740 establishments in England
Georgian architecture in Wiltshire
Houses completed in 1740
Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire
Grade I listed houses
Country houses in Wiltshire
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