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Townhill Park House is a Grade II listed former manor house between the neighbouring housing estates of Townhill Park in Southampton and Chartwell Green in Eastleigh. == History == The Manor of Townhill was granted to Sir William Paulet by Henry VIII in 1536 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The land was mainly used for farming, and became known as Townhill Farm. Townhill Farm became part of the Manor of South Stoneham, but was purchased in 1787 by Nathaniel Middleton, who had made his fortune in the service of the British East India Company. He turned the farmhouse into a private home, and the estate became known as Townhill Park. He enlarged the farmhouse, but a fire resulted in a complete revamp of the property in 1793. The property later passed into the hands of the Gater family, who also owned the nearby Gaters Mill near Mansbridge. In 1897, Townhill Farm was purchased by Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling, for his son Louis (who became the second Baron Swaythling in 1911) while the first baron continued to live at South Stoneham House. In 1912, extensive further modiciations were made to the building by architect Leonard Rome Guthrie, who returned after the World War I to add the music room and a boudoir for Lady Swaythling. The gardens at Townhill Park were laid out by Gertrude Jekyll and were noted for their rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. The Montagu Family lived in Townhill Park until the mid-1940s. The property was sold in 1948. were sold to Southampton Borough Council for housing, and the suburb of Townhill Park came into existence. Meanwhile the house itself and the remaining of land became a school for underprivileged girls, owned and operated by Middlesex County Council. The school closed in 1969 and the building was acquired by Southampton City Council. From 1971, the building was used as a hostel for Merchant Navy cadets, housing 75, until 1984 when the house became a conference centre. In 1994, Townhill Park House was purchased by The Gregg School. The Friends of Townhill Park Gardens was established in 1997 to restore the gardens, which are now open to the public on four days each year. The house, too, is occasionally open for guided tours. The house is a grade II listed building.〔(Southampton City Council: Listed buildings in Southampton ) Accessed 17 September 2007.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Townhill Park House」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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