IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Hartham Park, CORSHAM, SN13 0RP

The Manor House at Hartham Park. Designed by James Wyatt, the house was completed in 1795. It is now part of a country club/conference centre complex.

The viewpoint is from the road to Church Farm B&B near Hartham Chapel. The impressive mansion in the background is in the next square north. The trees are in this one.

Hartham Park Estate buildings.

Hartham Park is now an impressive business park and conference centre. The park has a long and illustrious history. From the park's website: 'There have been impressive houses at Hartham for many centuries. Two families, living beside one another for over 300 years, before the existing Hartham Park buildings even existed. Hartham House was home to the Duckett family, one of whom, Lionel Duckett, became Lord Mayor of London in 1572. Hartham Park was the home of the Goddards, a family whose history is inextricably linked with North Wiltshire both as land-owners and politicians. The Goddard coat of arms can still be seen over the main gate. Anne Goddard inherited the property in the 1700s, and was married to William James, whose enterprise and success in the East India Company lead to him becoming Chairman of the Board of Directors, and also provided the funds for Anne to build the present Mansion House, which was completed in 1795. Designed by the fashionable and highly sought after architect James Wyatt, the house was built on the site of a former Tudor farmstead. Sadly she did not live to enjoy the house that she had created and it was sold eventually to the Methuen family, who had already acquired Hartham House but which, now superfluous to requirements, was knocked down in the mid 1800s. Bought by the Dickson Poynder family, Hartham Park now enjoys its heyday. Sir John Poynder Dickson Poynder, later Lord Islington and Governor of New Zealand, added to the house, extending the main building and creating the courtyard. It was Sir John who also had the Stické tennis court built in 1904, used for the popular indoor version of lawn tennis. Although 38 Stické courts were built throughout the British Empire, the present court is one of only two left that are still playable. The building and balcony also doubled as a cricket pavilion. It was at the turn of the 19th century that Churchill and Asquith are known to have stayed in the house, as did H.R.H Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, the third son of Queen Victoria. While later owners of Hartham Park let much of the grounds deteriorate or sold parts off altogether, there is still ample evidence of what the property must have been like. Pineapples were grown in a heated greenhouse (the smokestack for the boiler can still be seen from the car park) the gardens were landscaped by Harold Peto, of Iford Manor fame and much of the grounds were laid out, as they are today, in this period. The servants' bells that remain outside the Victorian kitchens also hark back to the same period.' http://www.harthampark.com/index.php

Hartham Park is now a business park and conference centre, and very impressive it is too. The fine Georgian mansion that sits at the heart of the park has already been photographed http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/56548 but this is the first photograph on this site that shows the lodge at the entrance. It is listed Grade II in its own right. Its listing reads: 'CORSHAM CROSS KEYS ST 87 SE 1/117 No 6 (The Lodge) GV II Lodge to Hartham Park, dated 1892, squared rubble with slate low pitched eaves roof with brackets to eaves. One and half storeys, 'L'-plan, Italianate style to match c1850-60 Hartham lodges at Hartham and at Rudloe, Box. West side cross-wing with ridge stack and open pedimental gable to south, first floor cross window over ground floor canted bay. In angle to east Roman Doric porch with single column, entablature and ball finials. Ground floor cross window to right with plaque JDP (J. Dickson Poynder) 1892 above. East end gable is similar to south but with ground floor square bay. C20 north-west extension.'

In amongst the nettles the wall looks like a decayed tooth. It can't be long before it collapses altogether taking the whimsical coping stone arrangement with it http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1942404 and that would be a shame.

This affords a closer view of the coronet or crown that sits on top of the rather decrepit wall seen here http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1942390

An Edward VII reign postbox set into the wall at Hartham Farm. The postbox is no longer in use.

The narrow lane is viewed facing south as it leads towards Corsham. The wall pictured here http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1942390 can be seen at the left.

A mixture of colours amongst this herd of cows and calves. Presumably these are beef cattle but I stand to be corrected.