Calcot Park is a

country house 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 Townhouse (Great Britain), town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the cit ...

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

, and

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

. It is situated between Calcot and Tilehurst, suburbs of the town of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, and within the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

of Tilehurst.Ordnance Survey (2006). ''OS Explorer Map 159 — Reading''. . It is north of the Bath Road (now part of the A4).

History

Calcot Park was originally the

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...

of Tilehurst manor, and the estate was significantly larger than at present. A fore-runner of the present house is thought to have been built by the merchant and moneylender, Sir

Peter Vanlore Sir Peter Vanlore (c. 1547 – 6 September 1627) was a Dutch-born English merchant, jeweller and moneylender in Elizabethan and Stuart England. Biography He was born circa 1547 in Utrecht, Netherlands, the third son of Maurits van Loor ...

(1547–1627). Later, it was the home of the famous "Berkshire Lady," Frances Kendrick, who married her husband, Benjamin Child, after challenging him to a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

. It is said that when, as a widower, Child sold up to John Blagrave, he changed his mind and the lead from the roof had to be removed to force him to leave. The resulting damage to the house forced Blagrave to build the present house in 1759. The house is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

In fact, Child did not sell the whole of the Calcot Park Estate, but retained the easternmost section, where the duel was said to have been held. Here he built himself a new mansion, the centre-piece of what is now Prospect Park. The western part of the estate remained in the ownership of the Blagrave family for many years. The idea of a new golf course on this part of the estate was initially tested at a public meeting held in Reading on 24 April 1929. A favourable response resulted in a group of Reading businessmen meeting one week later to discuss the purchase of the estate and its conversion into a golf course. It was anticipated that a figure of £19,500 would be necessary to acquire the estate and another £5,000 to lay out the golf-course to the design of the famous golf-course architect

Harry Colt Henry Shapland "Harry" Colt (4 August 1869 – 21 November 1951) was a golf course architect born in Highgate, England. He worked predominantly with Charles Alison, John Morrison, and Alister MacKenzie, in 1928 forming Colt, Alison & Morrison ...

. The main feature of this design is the picturesque lake spanned by the seventh hole. Initially the house was used as the clubhouse for the new

. However, in 1960, it was sold and converted into apartments. The Golf Club had a new clubhouse built within the grounds with the proceeds of the sale.

References

External links

Calcot Park Golf Club website

{{Listed buildings in Reading Country houses in Berkshire Parks and open spaces in Reading, Berkshire Sports venues in Reading, Berkshire Golf clubs and courses in Berkshire West Berkshire District Houses completed in 1759 Tilehurst Grade II* listed buildings in Reading Grade II* listed houses