Shellbrook Hill is a grade II listed house in
Ellesmere Rural
Ellesmere Rural is a civil parish in Shropshire, England.
In 2011 the parish covered a large area, mainly to the west of the town of Ellesmere. This rural parish consists of farmland and a number of small settlements including Dudleston Heath ...
,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
, England, less than a quarter of a mile from part of the Wales border.
The house was built in 1820, and "is thought to have been designed by a pupil of Sir John Soane."
It was built for the Rev Richard Hilton, and the architect may have been George Edgecombe of Ellesmere.
Hilton was still living there in 1837, but by 1851, it was home to his son-in-law John Jones, who had married Hilton's daughter.
It passed to their son, Hanmer Hilton Jones, who lived there until he died in 1935, aged 93.
The house was sold and by mid-century was home to the Soames family.
Work was later undertaken to remove some changes that occurred in the mid-1930s, including large water tanks in the roof space, lowered ceilings, a bathroom, internal walls and some metal windows.
The internal layout and the window arrangement was restored, and a new en-suite bathroom was created within a former maid's cupboard.
It was home to Major Frederic Evelyn Soames (who also lived in
Nyeri, Kenya), who died there on 14 March 1967. He was the son of Frederick William Soames, who ran
Soames Brewery, Wrexham.
It has been
listed Grade II on the
National Heritage List for England since May 1953.
It has been home to former
Conservative cabinet minister
Owen Paterson
Owen William Paterson (born 24 June 1956) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minist ...
and his late wife
Rose Paterson,
since at least 2008.
Rose Paterson was found dead in woods near the house in 2020, and the coroner later returned a verdict of suicide.
References
{{Reflist
Country houses in Shropshire
Grade II listed buildings in Shropshire
Grade II listed houses
Houses completed in 1820