Bowden House, Berkshire

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Bowden House
Garden Front at Bowden Green, Pangbourne, Berkshire, England, 1898.jpg
Bowden House in 1898
Berkshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Berkshire
Former namesBowden Green
Port Jackson
General information
Type Country house
Architectural style Domestic Revival, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau
Location Pangbourne, Berkshire, England
Coordinates 51°28′48″N1°06′54″W / 51.480102°N 1.1149698°W / 51.480102; -1.1149698
Year(s) built1897–98
Client Sir Benjamin Baker
Design and construction
Architect(s)Arnold Bidlake Mitchell
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameThe Junior School, Pangbourne College
Designated18 June 1984;41 years ago (1984-06-18)
Reference no. 1288792
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameGarden walls, formerly associated with Bowden Green
Designated4 September 2006;19 years ago (2006-09-04)
Reference no. 1391803
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameThe Fowl House, formerly associated with Bowden Green
Designated4 September 2006;19 years ago (2006-09-04)
Reference no. 1391804

Bowden House, previously called both "Bowden Green" and "Port Jackson", is an English country house. It is a historic Grade II* listed building. The house is located southwest of Pangbourne, Berkshire.

Contents

History

Entrance front, 1898 Entrance Front at Bowden Green, Pangbourne, Berkshire, England, 1898.jpg
Entrance front, 1898

The house was originally called "Bowden Green" and was built between 1897 and 1898 by architect Arnold Bidlake Mitchell (1863–1944) [1] for the engineer of the Forth Bridge, Sir Benjamin Baker. [2]

When the unmarried Baker died in 1907, the property went to his niece, Mona Spagnoletti, née Kemp, and her husband James Spagnoletti, the son of inventor Charles Spagnoletti, who were already living with Baker.

An addition was made to the west end of the house in around 1910, containing a billiards room. [2]

At a later point, Pangbourne College acquired the property and used it as a junior school and dormitory, called "Port Jackson".

In 1984, it was designated a Grade II* listed building. [3]

In 2003 the school built a new building on their main campus to house Port Jackson and offered the house for sale. [4]

Architecture

The house's style is variously described as Domestic Revival, [2] Arts and Crafts, and Vernacular Revival. [3] The exterior is brick, with shaped tiles on the first floor and a multitude of gables. [3] Some of the bay windows are in hamstone. [2]

The "well preserved, cleverly planned interior" [2] contains significant Art Nouveau decorations, including gilded friezes in the hall and dining room. [4] There are De Morgan tiles surrounding the drawing room fireplace. [2]

The property had extensive outbuildings, some of which remain, including the Grade II listed octagonal Fowl-House. [5]

Fowl-House, 1898 Fowl-House at Bowden Green, Pangbourne, Berkshire, England, 1898.jpg
Fowl-House, 1898

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mitchell, Arnold Bidlake 1863 – 1944". Art History Research net (AHRnet). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tyack, Geoffrey; Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Brindle, Steven (2010). Berkshire (New, rev. ed.). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. pp. 424–5. ISBN   9780300126624.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Junior School, Pangbourne College, Pangbourne - 1288792". Historic England. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 Binney, Marcus (6 June 2003). "House of the Old School". The Times (London). No. 67782. p. 12.
  5. ↑ "The Fowl House, formerly associated with Bowden Green, Pangbourne - 1391804". Historic England. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
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