Charlton House, Wraxall

Charlton House is a historic building in Wraxall, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II listed building.[1][2]

Charlton House
LocationWraxall, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°27′37″N 2°43′52″W
BuiltLate medieval
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Charlton House
Designated13 October 1952[1]
Reference no.33573
Location of Charlton House in Somerset

The original building dates from the late mediaeval period, however it was altered in the early to mid 17th century and further extended between 1877 and 1884.[1][3] It was the home of Antony Gibbs of Antony Gibbs & Sons a trading company, whose son William Gibbs bought the Tyntesfield estate and built up the business.[4][5] The rendered stone three-storey building has a slate roof with a parapet. The hall fireplace dates from the early 17th century as does some of the fabric of the central block however most of the building was added in the 19th century. The fireplace has a gadrooned surround with clustered colonnettes on each side. These finish with caryatids and a moulded cornice. The large overmantel is decorated with the figures of kings and women representing Charity and Justice.[2]

Since 1927 it has housed The Downs School, a preparatory school founded in 1894 (originally in a house overlooking Clifton Down,[6] across the Clifton Suspension Bridge). The current headmaster of the Downs School is Marcus Gunn. The school takes pupils from its reception class until year three in pre-preparatory school and then from year four to year eight in the preparatory school. At the end of year 8, most pupils feed into other local Bristol schools, such as Clifton College and Bristol Grammar School along with Queen Elizabeth's Hospital and even schools further afield such as schools in Taunton, Millfield and sherborne.[7] It is set in 60 acres (24 ha) of parkland.[8]

The house was part of the Tyntesfield estate and the associated Charlton Farm was sold in 2002.[9] It is now a residential centre of Children's Hospice South West.[10]

References
  1. Historic England. "Charlton House (1321023)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  2. Historic England. "Charlton House (The Downs School) (1321023)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  3. "Downs School, Wraxall, The , (also known as Charlton House), Bristol, England". Parks & Gardens UK. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  4. Evered, Robert J. "Wraxall". Bristol and Avon Family History Society. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  5. Wright, Peter. "Tyntesfield" (PDF). Nailsea and District Local History Society. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  6. "The History of The Downs". The Downs School. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  7. "The Downs School". Independent Schools Directory. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  8. "The Downs School". Education Base. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  9. Steven, Terry. "History of the House and Family at Tyntesfield" (PDF). Kennet Valley National Trust. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  10. "Charlton Farm - Wraxall, Bristol". Children's Hospice South West. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
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