Belfield House is an 18th-century country house, located in

Wyke Regis Wyke Regis is a village in the civil parish of Weymouth, in south Dorset, England. The village is part of the south western suburbs of Weymouth, on the northern shore of Portland Harbour and the south-eastern end of Chesil Beach. Wyke is sou ...

, Weymouth,

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England. Built around 1775-80 of stone and yellow brick in a late classical design, the house has four

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

at its entrance. It originally had its own extensive parkland of thirteen acres, but much of it was built over during 20th-century development. Belfield House became a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in 1953. Belfield's former coach-house and stables have also been Grade II listed since 1974. They have now been converted into three residences.

History

Belfield House was built around 1775-80 for Isaac Buxton and his wife. It was designed by

John Crunden John Crunden (c. 1741 – 1828) was an English architect of country houses and villas, and mobiliary designer. Biography Most of his early inspiration was drawn from Chippendale and his school. He produced a very large number of designs which ...

. Buxton's grandchild was the MP and social reformer

Thomas Fowell Buxton Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet Buxton of Belfield and Runton (1 April 1786Olwyn Mary Blouet, "Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, first baronet (1786–1845)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed ...

, who spent time at Belfield House during his childhood. He later became the MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in 1818, and the owner of Belfield House. During the early 19th century, the drawing room and south-east front were reconstructed, as was the conservatory in the late 19th century. The house remained in the ownership of the Buxton family until the middle of the 19th century. By the beginning of the 20th century, Connaught House, originally known as Portmore, had been built within Belfield's grounds as a school. Further parts of the grounds were sold throughout the 20th century, with many detached houses being constructed. In 2004, the house was sold to new owners Colin Grove and Jan Biggs, who then embarked on a major restoration project from 2005. The work was carried out by architects John Stark & Crickmay Partnership and builders R. Moulding & Co. Some of the work included restoration of the exterior detailing, full re-roofing, and timber repairs. Upon completion, the restoration received the Weymouth Civic Society Award for 2010. The society described the house as being "probably Weymouth's finest and most important Georgian house".

References

{{coord, 50.59973, N, 2.47107, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in Weymouth, Dorset Grade II* listed buildings in Dorset Houses in Dorset Grade II* listed houses