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Soughton Hall is a
Grade II* listed 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 ...
country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
in
Sychdyn Sychdyn or Soughton (meaning ''South Town'') is a village in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5119 road, and is just over 1000 yards (1 km) north of the county town of Mold. In 1086, the village was listed in Domesday Book as a s ...
,
Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...
,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. Notable guests that have stayed include
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
and
King Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...
.
William John Bankes William John Bankes (11 December 1786 – 15 April 1855) was an English politician, explorer, Egyptologist and adventurer. The second, but first surviving, son of Henry Bankes MP, he was a member of the Bankes family of Dorset and he had Sir Ch ...
inherited Soughton Hall in the 1815.


Early history

Edward Conway built Soughton Hall in 1714. His family had owned the estate for several generations and he inherited the land when his father John Conway died in 1689. Because of financial difficulties he was forced to sell the house in 1732 to Bishop John Wynne.
Bishop John Wynne A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
was born in 1667. His father was Humphrey Wynne of Maes-y-coed, Caerwys. He was educated at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and in 1715 was appointed Bishop of
Saint Asaph Saint Asaph (or Asaf, Asa) was, in the second half of the 6th century, the first Bishop of St Asaph, i.e. bishop of the diocese of Saint Asaph. Biography No traditional Welsh account devoted to the life of Asaph exists. He is, though, well- ...
in
Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
and in 1727 became Bishop of
Bath 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 ...
and
Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...
. In 1720 he married Anne Pugh, daughter and heiress of Robert Pugh of Pennarth. The couple had two sons and two daughters. At the age of 65 in 1732 Bishop Wynne bought Soughton Hall. He was a horticulturist and planted several avenues of lime trees on the estate, many of the trees can be still seen today. After he died in 1743 his son John inherited the estate and when he died unmarried in 1801 his brother Sir William Wynne became the owner. Bishop Wynne’s daughter Margaret had married Henry Bankes of Corfe Castle. It was this marriage that brought Soughton Hall indirectly into the Bankes family because when her brother Sir William Wynne died unmarried in 1815 the Hall was inherited by her grandson
William John Bankes William John Bankes (11 December 1786 – 15 April 1855) was an English politician, explorer, Egyptologist and adventurer. The second, but first surviving, son of Henry Bankes MP, he was a member of the Bankes family of Dorset and he had Sir Ch ...
.


The Bankes family

William John Bankes William John Bankes (11 December 1786 – 15 April 1855) was an English politician, explorer, Egyptologist and adventurer. The second, but first surviving, son of Henry Bankes MP, he was a member of the Bankes family of Dorset and he had Sir Ch ...
was born in 1786. His father was Henry Bankes who owned Kingston Lacy. He is described by one historian in the following terms. :''"William was a brilliant and eccentric man whose contemporaries feared he would dissipate his talent and very considerable scholarship by the breadth of his interests and his volatile personality. At Cambridge, rich charming and good looking he may have outshone even Byron, who was to remain a lifelong friend, by his conscious adoption of immense style, his wit and pretensions to grandeur. Extremely well read in the classics, including the classical writers of Egypt and Nubia. He left a potential career in Parliament to follow in the steps of Byron and William Beckford to Spain and Portugal to pursue and Bohemian lifestyle among the gypsies of Granada and then for the risk and adventure of travel in the Near East.”"'' William inherited Soughton Hall from his great uncle Sir William Wynne in 1815 at the age of 29. At this stage he owned no other property so he decided to make the house a showpiece. After touring Europe and the Middle East between 1812 and 1820 he commissioned
Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...
a fellow traveller to redesign the existing Soughton Hall to reflect the style of the buildings he had seen on his travels. In 1834 on the death of his father he inherited Kingston Lacy and again he commissioned Charles Barry to make major alternations to this property. In 1841 William was involved in a scandal and was forced to live the rest of his life in exile. He transferred his property his brother George Bankes who inherited it in 1855 when William died. George died in 1856 and Soughton Hall was inherited by his younger brother Reverend Edward Bankes. Reverend Edward Bankes married twice and had seven children. Two of his daughters by his second marriage were Emma and Frederica who were twins. In 1869 when they were 22 years old they had their portrait painted by
Henry Tanworth Wells Henry Tanworth Wells (14 December 1828 – 16 January 1903) was an English miniature and portrait painter. He was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle though he painted in the academic style. His most popular painting was ''Victoria Regi ...
who was a well-known English painter of that time. The painting is shown. They were born in 1847 in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and lived part of their lives at Gloucester College, Oxford where their father was the rector. The family also had a villa at Weymouth where they frequently stayed. The girls were often mentioned in the social pages attending dances and balls in the area. For example, in 1866 they were at the Dorset Hunt Ball and in 1867 they were at a fancy dress ball in Bristol. In 1873 the twins were married and they had a double wedding at St Ann’s Church Radipole,
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
. Frederica married Major John George Skene (later Colonel) of the
77th Regiment of Foot The 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line regiment of the British Army, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cam ...
who two years later inherited his father’s estate called Lethenty in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Emma married her cousin Edward Alexander Cameron who was a civil engineer and the couple lived in a house called “The Towers” in Buxton. When Rev. Edward Bankes died in 1867 his son John Scott Bankes inherited Soughton Hall and made some alterations to the building. He employed John Douglas who refaced the house in red brick, and redesigned the façade. Bankes died in 1894 and his son Sir
John Eldon Bankes Sir John Eldon Bankes, (17 April 1854 – 31 December 1946) was a Welsh judge of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice, and later the Lord Justice of Appeal. Biography Born in Northop, Flintshire on 17 April 1854, he was ...
who was a Judge of the High Court, became the owner of the Hall. He died in 1946 and his son Robert Wynne Bankes inherited the property. When his wife Mabel died in 1985 the property was sold, and it became a boutique hotel and event venue.


References


External links


Soughton Hall Hotel website
{{Commons category Houses completed in 1714 Houses in Flintshire Country houses in Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Flintshire Hotels in Wales Bankes family Charles Barry buildings John Douglas buildings Registered historic parks and gardens in Flintshire