Fawley Court and Temple Island, Henley-on-Thames, England
Record Id: 1310
The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
The Freemans bought the estate in the early 1680s. A new house, possibly designed by Christopher Wren (1632-1723), was built by William Freeman on the site of the old manor house. In 1707 William's nephew John Freeman succeeded. During the 1730s he created the pleasure grounds which included several important garden buildings, and may have received advice from Edmund Waller (owner of Hall Barn, Beaconsfield) and John Aislabie (owner of Studley Royal, North Yorkshire) (Records of Bucks 24).
John Freeman died in 1752. His son, Sambrooke, continued to develop Fawley. He was a member of the Society of Dilettanti, and was probably in frequent contact with Sir Francis Dashwood at West Wycombe. Sambrooke enlarged the estate considerably, including in the 1760s buying the manors of Remenham, east of the river, and Phyllis Court and Henley Park south and west of Fawley respectively. He remodelled the house and carried out major alterations to the grounds in the 1770s, employing Lancelot Brown (1716-83). Strickland Freeman, Sambrooke's nephew, inherited the estate in 1782 and became an 'improving' landlord until his death in 1821, building many estate structures. In 1853 the estate was sold to Edward Mackenzie whose son William carried out major alterations to house and grounds at the end of the 19th century. The house held a military intelligence school during the Second World War, and was bought by the Marian Fathers from Miss Mackenzie after the war. The estate is now (1997) in divided ownership.
Site timeline
1939 to 1945: The house held a military intelligence school during World War 2.
People associated with this site
Designer: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)
Architect: James Wyatt (born 1747 died 1813)
Features
gate lodge
Feature created: 1820
North Lodge, a white, rendered, classical, single-storey lodge lies at the head of the north drive, with iron gates and piers, and short lengths of railings on either side.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
balustrade
Feature created: 1867 to 1899
Late 19th century stone balustrade (Listed Grade II) which separates the forecourt from the park.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
stable
Feature created: 1770
Brick menagerie with an apsidal north end (about 1770, Listed Grade II), now converted into stables.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
garden building
White Cottage (Listed Grade II), a single-storey house incorporating a small, late 18th century, octagonal pavilion, painted white.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
terrace
Two formal concentric terraces (Listed Grade II) flank the house to the south and east.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
urn
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
pedestal
A pedestal with lion's heads.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
sundial
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
dairy
Feature created: 1700 to 1799
An ornamental dairy (18th century, Listed Grade II) lies close to the north-west corner of the house.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
ornamental bridge
Feature created: 1734 to 1767
The River Gate, a small, flint and stucco, covered bridge and gateway (mid 18th century, Listed Grade II), crossing a small stream or drainage ditch.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
plantation
Feature created: 1867 to 1899
A late 19th ornamental plantation of cypresses.
topiary
ha-ha
South of the house an open lawn is bounded at its south edge by a ha-ha, although the ha-ha wall has been removed.
canal
Feature created: 1920
East of the house a flat lawn leads to a rectangular canal, about 1920, extending 100 metres towards the river.
lawn
drive
Feature created: Before 1824
Fawley Court is approached by two curving drives. The north and south drives were laid out by 1824 (Bryant 1824) and are probably from the Brown period, about the 1770s.
avenue
Avenue of holm oaks.
river
temple
Feature created: 1771
The 1771 Fishing Temple stands on Temple Island in the River Thames, in Brown's principal vista.
path
Several paths run through the wooded pleasure grounds.
kitchen garden
The bottom half of the walls is of flint, and the top brick. None of the interior structure survives, and it now houses a garden centre.
© Copyright Parks and Gardens Data Services Ltd. 2007