Eagle House (suffragette's rest)
| Eagle House | |
|---|---|
Eagle House in 2010
|
|
 Location within Somerset
|
|
| General information | |
| Location | Batheaston |
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°24′49″N 2°19′06″W / 51.41361°N 2.31833°WCoordinates: 51°24′49″N 2°19′06″W / 51.41361°N 2.31833°W |
| Designations | Grade II listed |
Eagle House is in Batheaston near Bath in Somerset. It is now surrounded by houses but before the First World War it had extensive grounds and it was known as the Suffragette's Retreat. It was owned by Colonel Linley and Emily Blathwayt. It was noted for a historic group of trees planted to celebrate the sacrifice of particular suffragettes. Only one tree remains. The house is a Grade II* listed building.
The house is dated 1729. It was however built in the late 17th/early 18th century and then remodelled in 1724 and again in 1729 by the architect John Wood, the Elder as his own house. The house was later associated with his son John Wood, the Younger. The house later became a home to Colonel Linley Blathwayt, his wife Emily, and their children William and Mary Blathwayt. Linley Blathwayt had been a Colonel in the army in India and he retired here in 1882. He had interests in insects and in photography. Emily Blathwayts interest was in the garden and they had an extensive library of books including hundreds on botany and nature.
The two-storey bath stone house has ashlar quoins and a slate roof. There is an ionic doorcase with columns either side supporting a pediment. The south side is of five bays while the east has three. The interior includes an 18th century staircase and fireplace. In the garden is a former chapel with an early 19th century window with interested tracery.
Mary Blathwayt and her mother started attending meetings of the Bath Women's Suffrage Society. In 1906, Blathwayt gave three shillings to Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). Mary met Annie Kenney at a Women's Social and Political Union meeting in Bath and agreed to help Kenney, Elsie Howey, Clara Codd and Mary Phillips organise a local women's suffrage campaign. Mary was given an allowance by her family to support her in her work for women's rights.
...
Wikipedia