Binfield Park is an
English country house
image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
. It is a historic
Grade II* listed
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, H ...
building. The house is located just northeast of
Binfield
Binfield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 8,689. The village lies north-west of Bracknell, north-east of Wokingham, and south-east of Reading at the westernmost extremity of ...
,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
.
History
The house was built in 1775 by Onesiphorus Elliott. It was purchased from the Elliott family in 1854 by Florance Thomas Young. The Young family are memorialised in a
Grade II
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 ...
listed monument in the graveyard of All Saints Church, just north of the house.
During the Second World War, the house was converted into a military hospital.
From 1949 to 2000, the property was an
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
hospital for mentally handicapped children, and during that time was called "Binfield Park Hospital".
Juliette Alvin did work on music therapy there in the 1960s.
After the hospital closed, the house was converted into three individual dwellings: "The Georgian House" (the main house), "The Hall" (the north wing), and "The Manor" (the south wing).
The property is available for rental.
Architecture
Situated on high ground with extensive views of the surrounding country, the house has a classical design in
Flemish bond
Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...
red brick. The "featureless" three-storey front is abutted by projecting two-storey wings.
The interior contains "
Adamesque
The Adam style (also called Adamesque or the Style of the Brothers Adam) is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practised by Scottish architect William Adam and his sons, of whom Robert (1728–1792) and ...
" plasterwork.
George William Webb
George Webb (1853–1936) was a Scottish-born architect who had a business in Reading, Berkshire, England.
He in known for designing the Ellangowan Hotel (''Ellengowan'' in ref.) in Creetown, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland in 1898.
The interior o ...
designed additions to the house in 1889.
There were many modern additions made to the house during its institutional use; these have been removed.
The western and southern entrances to the property are both flanked by
Grade II
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 ...
listed late 18th-century rusticated gate piers, with pediments, wreaths, and other detailing.
Likely built prior to Binfield Park and then adopted for use as a gatehouse, the early 18th-century South Lodge is also a Grade II listed building. It is now a private house.
See also
*
References
External links
Royal Berkshire History – BinfieldHistoric England – Binfield Park
Grade II* listed buildings in Berkshire
Grade II* listed houses
Country houses in Berkshire
Bracknell Forest
Houses completed in 1775
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