The Wharf, Walton House and Mill House are three houses in Church Street, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England. They are part of a complex of buildings bought and expanded by Margot Asquith, wife of the then Prime MinisterH. H. Asquith, from 1911 and which formed their country home until his death in 1928. Renovations and expansions were undertaken by the architect Walter Cave and were funded by a number of Margot Asquith's friends and admirers. Margot sold the complex in 1932, and the houses have subsequently been in separate ownership. In 2006, Helena Bonham Carter, Asquith's great-granddaughter bought back Mill House. All three properties are Grade II listed buildings.
Blue plaque at The Wharf commemorating Asquith's residence
Margot Asquith bought the Wharf from her friend Maud Tree in 1911. Financial support was provided by Margot's admirer, the banker J. P. Morgan.[1] In 1917, she acquired the Mill House to provide additional guest accommodation. On this occasion, financial support was obtained from Lady Boot, wife of the "Chemist to the Nation", Jesse Boot.[2] Her architect throughout was Walter Cave.[3] At the time the Asquiths lived there, and until a county reorganisation in 1974, Sutton Courtenay was located in Berkshire and is referred to as being in Berkshire in the many diaries and collections of letters which mention the house. The most recent Pevsner, although published in 2010, also follows this convention.[4] Asquith was addicted to "weekending" and many Friday-to-Mondays were spent at the Wharf.[5]
Asquith died at the house on the morning of 5 February 1928. His daughter Violet recorded his last weeks: "To watch Father's glorious mind breaking up and sinking - like a great ship - is a pain beyond all my imagining. I did not know life could be as cruel as this".[6] Asquith is buried in the churchyard at Sutton Courtenay. In 1932, facing continuing financial worries, Margot sold the house.[7] In 2012 Asquith's great-grandson, Raymond, unveiled a Blue plaque at the Wharf commemorating Asquith's residence at the house.[8]
In 2006, Mill House was bought by Asquith's great-granddaughter, the actress Helena Bonham Carter and her then partner, the director Tim Burton.[9] In 2007, the Wharf was placed on the market.[10]
Architecture and description
Asquith's grandson, Mark Bonham Carter, described the house in his Introduction to Margot Asquith's autobiography, republished in 1962. "It was an unattractive house and did not escape the vulgarity which hangs around the Thames Valley."[11]Pevsner describes Cave's overall style as "neo-William-and-Mary".[3] The Wharf is a two-storey house constructed built with English bond red bricks.[12] The Mill House is also in brick and dates from the 18th century with earlier elements, and later additions undertaken by Cave.[13] Walton House, again in red brick, although this time in Flemish bond, is early 19th century, again with Cave-designed embellishments.[14] The barn in the grounds of the Wharf, overlooking the River Thames, was converted by Cave into a retreat for Margot Asquith in 1913.[15]
The Wharf,[12] Mill House[13] and Walton House all have Grade II designations.[14] The Barn is also listed Grade II.[16]
Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises 33 acres (130,000 m2), of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and Frogmore Cottage. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area near the River Thames. This area is part of the local flood plain.
Emma Margaret Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith, known as Margot Asquith, was a British socialite, author. She was married to H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1894 until his death in 1928.
Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames 2 miles (3 km) south of Abingdon-on-Thames and 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,421. Sutton Courtenay is home to some important structures, such as The Abbey, the Manor House, All Saints' Church, a twelfth-century Norman hall, the Sutton Bridge, and Didcot power station.
Easton Grey is a small village and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, on the county boundary with Gloucestershire. The village lies just south of the B4040 road between Malmesbury and Sherston, about 3.5 miles (6 km) west of Malmesbury. The Church of England parish church has a 15th-century tower and was rebuilt in 1836.
Aston Tirrold is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs about 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 373.
Helen Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury,, known until her marriage as Violet Asquith, was a British politician and diarist. She was the daughter of H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister from 1908 to 1916, and she was known as Lady Violet, as a courtesy title, from her father's elevation to the peerage as Earl of Oxford and Asquith in 1925. Later she became active in Liberal politics herself, and was a leading opponent of appeasement. She stood for Parliament and became a life peer.
Drayton is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3 km) south of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Sutton Wick. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 2,353.
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The Crooked House of Windsor in Windsor, England, is a commercial building dating from 1687. It is the oldest teahouse in all of England. It is Grade II listed. The building was reconstructed in the eighteenth century and now stands on "an outrageous slant." It has three storeys and bay windows to the front and rear.
Sutton Weaver is a civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It is largely rural, and contains the village of Sutton Weaver. The parish is traversed in a north–south direction by the M56 motorway, the A56 road, and the Chester to Manchester Line, and from east to west by the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation, and the A533 road. It contains twelve buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these one is listed at Grade I, another at Grade II*, and the other ten at Grade II. The structures include houses, farm buildings, and bridges. Most of them are houses or farm buildings, but there is also a bridge and two viaducts.
The Church of All Saints, Sutton Courtenay is the Church of England parish church of Sutton Courtenay, England. Extant since at least the 12th century, the church has been Grade I listed since 1966. It is in the centre of the village, near the northeast corner of the village green.
Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England, and close to it are the communities of Helmshore, Ewood Bridge, and Irwell Vale. The area contains 48 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, three are listed at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. Until the coming of the Industrial Revolution the area was agricultural, and almost all the earliest listed buildings are farmhouses and farm buildings. With the arrival of industry, first came weavers' cottages and then mills, some of which are listed. As the population grew, buildings to serve the community were constructed. Listed examples of these include churches and associated structures, and a public house. The East Lancashire Railway passes through the area, and viaducts built to carry it are listed. In addition the gateway to a public park and two war memorials are listed.
Walton-le-Dale is a large village in the South Ribble district of Lancashire, England. In the area close to it are the settlements of Higher Walton, Walton Summit, Bamber Bridge, and Gregson Lane. This area contains 34 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, six are listed at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The area is partly residential and partly rural. Its listed buildings include churches and associated structures, houses, farmhouses and farm buildings, public houses, and a war memorial.
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