Shellbrook Hill is a grade II listed house in

Ellesmere Rural Ellesmere Rural is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. In 2011 the parish covered a large area, mainly to the west of the town of Ellesmere. This rural parish consists of farmland and a number of small settlements including Dudleston Heat ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, England, less than a quarter of a mile from part of the Wales border. The house was built in 1820, and "is thought to have been designed by a pupil of Sir

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor ...

." It was built for the Rev Richard Hilton, and the architect may have been George Edgecombe of Ellesmere. Hilton was still living there in 1837, but by 1851, it was home to his son-in-law John Jones, who had married Hilton's daughter. It passed to their son, Hanmer Hilton Jones, who lived there until he died in 1935, aged 93. The house was sold and by mid-century was home to the Soames family. Work was later undertaken to remove some changes that occurred in the mid-1930s, including large water tanks in the roof space, lowered ceilings, a bathroom, internal walls and some metal windows. The internal layout and the window arrangement was restored, and a new en-suite bathroom was created within a former maid's cupboard. It was home to Major Frederic Evelyn Soames (who also lived in

Nyeri Nyeri is a town situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya. It is the county headquarters of Nyeri County and was the central administrative headquarters of the country's former Central Province (Kenya), Central Province. The town is situated a ...

, Kenya), who died there on 14 March 1967. He was the son of Frederick William Soames, who ran Soames Brewery, Wrexham. It has been listed Grade II on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

since May 1953. It has been home to former

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

cabinet minister

Owen Paterson Owen William Paterson (born 24 June 1956) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minist ...

and his late wife

Rose Paterson Rose Emily Paterson (; 13 August 1956 – 24 June 2020) was a British business executive, fundraiser, and the chairman of Aintree Racecourse. Early life Rose Emily Paterson was born on 13 August 1956 in Northumberland. She was the daughter of ...

, since at least 2008. Rose Paterson was found dead in woods near the house in 2020, and the coroner later returned a verdict of suicide.

References

{{Reflist Country houses in Shropshire Grade II listed buildings in Shropshire Grade II listed houses Houses completed in 1820