Hillingdon Court

Hillingdon Court
Hillingdon Court, circa 1900
Location within Greater London
General information
Location	Hillingdon
Town or city	Greater London
Country	England
Coordinates	51°32′35″N 0°27′37″W / 51.543111°N 0.460278°W / 51.543111; -0.460278
Construction started	1854
Completed	1858
Client	Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet
Design and construction
Architect	Philip Charles Hardwick

Coordinates: 51°32′35.20″N 000°27′37″W / 51.5431111°N 0.46028°W / 51.5431111; -0.46028

Hillingdon Court is a Grade II listed mansion in Hillingdon, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Originally built in 1858 as the family home of the Mills family, the mansion has formed part of the ACS Hillingdon International School since 1978. Much of the remaining grounds came under public ownership in 1928 and have become public parkland and housing.

Sir Charles Mills, partner in the London bank of Glyn, Mills & Co., bought two houses in rural Vine Lane in 1825, following his marriage to Emily Cox, daughter of the banker Richard Henry Cox. The Coxs had a house in Hillingdon. Mills had both houses demolished and the sites combined to allow for the construction of a new mansion. Designed by Philip Charles Hardwick, the mansion was built of white brick and stone between 1854 and 1858. Mills and ten members of his family lived there, with 33 servants.

Sir Charles' son, Charles Mills, 1st Baron Hillingdon, began purchasing surrounding land following his creation as Baron Hillingdon in 1886. His holdings eventually reached 3,185 acres (12.9 km²), which Baron Hillingdon used for shooting.

In 1919, the second Baron Hillingdon, also Charles Mills, died and the estate was put up for sale. Part of the estate was purchased by the Uxbridge Urban District on 31 March 1928 and became Hillingdon Court Park. The Roman Catholic order of the Sacred Heart purchased the mansion in 1920 for use as a nursing home for the elderly. While under the ownership of the order, the drawing room was used as a chapel.