Shaw House is an important example of an early symmetrical H-plan

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

, located at

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada *Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village *Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton *Shaw, Swindon, a List of United Kingdom ...

, on the north-eastern outskirts of Newbury in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

History

The manor house of Shaw, Shaw House was built by the wealthy

cloth merchant In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ext ...

Thomas Dolman Sir Thomas Dolman (13 January 1622 – 18 July 1697) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1679. Dolman was the son of Humphrey Dolman of Shaw House, Berkshire and his wife Anne Quarles, daughter of ...

, and completed in 1581. It is famous for its reputation as King Charles I's headquarters during the

Second Battle of Newbury The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War fought on 27 October 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in la ...

. However recent research has proved that, despite being at the centre of the fighting, the King never went to the house. Other Royals have visited, most notably

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. In the 1720s, it was acquired by the flamboyant

James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, (6 January 16739 August 1744) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1698 until 1714, when he succeeded to the peerage as Baron Chandos, and vacated ...

. Although it was not the principal residence of the Duke, the family evidently spent some time in the area and the second Duke bought a wife at a sale in Newbury. Anne Wells, aka Duchess of Chandos (died 1759) by Joseph Highmore, in the Walker Art Gallery

Anne Wells, aka Duchess of Chandos (died 1759) by Joseph Highmore, in the Walker Art Gallery

After the first Duke's death in 1744 the

dowager A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a "dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchy, monarchical and aristocracy, aristocratic Title#Aristocr ...

duchess lived at Shaw House till her death in 1750. Her step-son sold the property soon afterwards to the Andrews family. It was the childhood home of the historian,

James Pettit Andrews James Pettit Andrews (1737– 6 August 1797) was an English historian and antiquary. Life He was the younger son of Joseph Andrews of Shaw House, near Newbury in Berkshire, and his second wife Elizabeth Pettit; Sir Joseph Andrews, 1st Bar ...

. For many years it was a school. The house is currently owned and managed by

West Berkshire West Berkshire is a local government district in Berkshire, England, administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council. History The district of Newbury was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbury, Bradfield Rural Distric ...

Council as a conference venue and public attraction.

Restoration

Following a major restoration Shaw House opened to the public in 2008. It is also a conference venue and home to West Berkshire's Registration Service for Births, Deaths and Ceremonies. Work began in 2005 after the mansion was awarded more than £4m from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

and

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...

also contributed to the £6m project. Visitors can now enjoy a programme of events and activities whilst wandering the house and spending time in the exhibitions and family corner. The House is open most weekends and some school holidays.

References

External links

Shaw House
- official site
West Berkshire Council: Shaw HouseWest Berkshire Council
{{coord, 51, 24, 44, N, 1, 19, 2, W, type:landmark_scale:1000_region:GB, display=title Houses completed in 1581 Elizabethan architecture Grade I listed buildings in Berkshire Grade I listed houses Country houses in Berkshire West Berkshire District Historic house museums in Berkshire 1581 establishments in England