Townhill Park House

Townhill Park House
The western face of the house
Shown within Southampton
Former names	Townhill Farm
General information
Status	Complete
Type	House (now used as a school)
Architectural style	Italianate
Location	Southampton
Town or city	Townhill Park / Chartwell Green
Coordinates	50°56′00″N 1°21′29″W / 50.9333°N 1.358°W / 50.9333; -1.358Coordinates: 50°56′00″N 1°21′29″W / 50.9333°N 1.358°W / 50.9333; -1.358
Owner	The Gregg School
Technical details
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect	Leonard Rome Guthrie
Other designers	Gertrude Jekyll
Designations	Grade II listed

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.

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. 294 acres (1.19 km²) were sold to Southampton Borough Council for housing, and the suburb of Townhill Park came into existence. Meanwhile the house itself and the remaining 30 acres (120,000 m²) 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.