Sturgeons House is a Grade II listed country estate located west of the small village of

Writtle The village and civil parish of Writtle lies west of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravis ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England. At its height, the estate comprised around . However, it currently holds only around of ground. The house is currently under renovation, including an extension to the rear of the property. The house, along with the surrounding barns, is an example of an early

model farm A demonstration farm, or model farm, is a farm which is used primarily to research or demonstrate various agricultural techniques, with any economic gains being an added bonus. Demonstration farms are often owned and operated by educational instit ...

History

There has been human settlement at the site since 1280, when William Turgis established a farm there. The name 'Sturgeons' derived from the Turgis family-name. The location was chosen upon the discovery of a natural spring in the area. The current house was built in the 1830s in the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

style. It was built for William Addy, who spent the greater part of his fortune on the project. Due to ill health, he moved from the property soon after it was finished. The Blythe family then came to own the house and surrounding farmland for almost a hundred years. In the mid 19th century, Sturgeons farm became a leading

. The farm's owners researched and demonstrated improvements in agricultural techniques, efficiency, and building layout. Education, and commitment to improving welfare standards of workers were also aspects of the ideal farm movement. The farm buildings were designed to be beautiful as well as utilitarian - inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment. In the 1930s, Sturgeons farm (including Sturgeons House) was acquired by

Writtle College Writtle University College is a university college located in Writtle near Chelmsford, Essex. It was founded in 1893. Writtle obtained University College status in May 2016. Its countryside estate features a wide range of facilities, includin ...

. In recent times, the house has been the home of the Principal of Writtle College. In 2007 the college sold the property as part of its restructuring and modernisation programme. Sturgeons Farm is still retained by the college.

Wildlife

The area is rich in local wildlife. There are small badger and fox populations, along with Reeves's muntjac; moorhens; pheasants; hares and rabbits. There are also numerous oak, yew and willow trees.

Roman villa speculation

Excavation work in fields to the rear of the house has resulted in Roman pottery and metalware being discovered. Speculation that a Roman villa once existed on the site has yet to be verified.

References

{{Reflist * Susanna Wade Martins. The English model farm: building the agricultural ideal, 1700-1914 (Windgather Press, 2002). Country houses in Essex Grade II listed buildings in Essex Model farms City of Chelmsford