Gilston Park is a

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 ...

country house in

Gilston Gilston is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is located a little over one mile north of the town of Harlow in the neighbouring county of Essex. Together with the nearby village of Eastw ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England. It was designed by

Philip Hardwick Philip Hardwick (15 June 1792 in London – 28 December 1870) was an English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere. Hardwick is probably best known for London's demolished Euston Arch ...

for John Hodgson around 1852.

Owners and residents

John Hodgson (1805-1882) built Gilston Park House in about 1852. He bought the property on which a very old house stood and demolished it leaving only the porch which is still present today. John was a very wealthy land owner who held numerous properties in various counties as well as a house in

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a , historic Listed building#Heritage protection, Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London. A Royal Parks of London, Royal Park, it is the largest of the parks and green spaces that form a chain from Kensington P ...

. He also owned a large amount of land in Eastwick. In todays terms his estate was estimated to be worth about 100 million pounds. John was born in 1805 in

Wanstead Wanstead () is an area in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge to the east and Manor Park to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is located 8 m ...

. His father Thomas Hodgson (1759-1841) was also a landowner and left him several properties in his will. However John subsequently added substantially to his own wealth. He was a magistrate and at one time the High Sheriff of

. John did not marry and had no children. His older brother William Hodgson (1803-1886) who was a barrister was also a bachelor. He retired early and came to live at Gilston Park. Both brothers undertook a huge rebuilding of their estate including Eastwick. The rebuild included farms, domestic accommodation, schools and almshouses. It has been described as “a model Victorian estate” John died in 1882 and William inherited the house. When he died in 1886 it was inherited by his nephew Edward Salvin Bowlby.

left, 200px, Catherine Bowlby, wife of Arthur Salvin Bowlby Edward Salvin Bowlby (1830-1902) was also a barrister. He was married twice. His first wife was Maria Rimington who died in 1879. His second wife was Elizabeth Vans Agnew daughter of Robert Vans Agnew of Barnbarroch Hall. His eldest son by his first marriage was Arthur Salvin Bowlby and it was he who inherited the house when Edward died in 1902. Arthur Salvin Bowlby (1872-1932) continued running the property as a farming estate. In 1903 he married Catherine Mary Bond who was the daughter of Edwin Edmund Bruton Bond who was a Lieutenant in the military. Arthur was a personal friend of the famous painter

Philip de László Philip Alexius László de Lombos (born Fülöp Laub; ; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), known professionally as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal and aristocratic personages. ...

who frequently stayed at Gilston Park. Between 1914 and 1923 De Laszlo painted eight portraits of the Bowlby family. Two of them – Arthur and his wife Catherine are shown. Arthur died in 1932 and his son Francis Edward Salvin Bowlby became the owner. Francis Edward Salvin Bowlby (1904-1983) and his wife Lady Joan Catherine Bowlby (nee Trotter) lived at Gilston Park until he sold it in 1947. The house became a Country Club. In the early 1950s it was the set for several movies. Stills of the films showing the house can be seen at these references.Reelstreets website “The Rossiter Case” 195
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References

External links

* * Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire Buildings and structures completed in 1852 Country houses in Hertfordshire Grade II* listed houses {{UK-listed-building-stub