Shockerwick House in

Bathford Bathford (pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable) is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England. The parish, which includes Warleigh, has a population of 1,759 and extends over . History The ancient charter ''Codex Diplomat ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, England was built as a

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 ...

around 1750 by

John Wood, the Elder John Wood, the Elder (1704 – 23 May 1754) was an English architect, working mainly in Bath. In 1740 he surveyed Stonehenge and the Stanton Drew stone circles. He later wrote extensively about Bladud and Neo-Druidism. Because of some o ...

. It has been designated as a Grade I

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 I ...

. It is set in of parkland within the

Bybrook River The Bybrook, also known as the By Brook, is a small river in England. It is a tributary of the Bristol Avon and is some long. Its sources are the Burton Brook and the Broadmead Brook, which rise in South Gloucestershire at Tormarton and Cold ...

valley. The site was a manor prior to its purchase in 1740, from the estate of Anthony Carew, by the Wiltshire family. The Wiltshires commissioned

to design the house and grounds.

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

was a frequent visitor and painted several canvases in the orangery of the house including that of Edward Orpin, Parish Clerk of Bradford-upon-Avon which is now in the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

. Another visitor was

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the Un ...

who was at Shockerwick when he heard about Napoleon's victory at the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz i ...

. In the 1880s the house was bought by

Charles Morley Charles Morley may refer to: *Charles Morley (Liberal politician) (1847–1917), British Member of Parliament (MP) for Breconshire *Charles Morley (Hindon MP), MP for Hindon (UK Parliament constituency), Hindon *Charles Morley of Morley Harps *Cha ...

the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for

Breconshire , image_flag= , HQ= Brecon , Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= Brycheiniog , Status= , Start= 1535 , End= ...

. The house was altered in 1896 by

Ernest George Sir Ernest George (13 June 1839 – 8 December 1922) was a British architect, landscape and architectural watercolourist, and etcher. Life and work Born in London, Ernest George began his architectural training in 1856, under Samuel Hewitt, ...

and Alfred B. Yeates. The Morley family owned the house until 1955. In 1961 it was bought by

Henry Pelham-Clinton-Hope, 9th Duke of Newcastle Henry Edward Hugh Pelham-Clinton-Hope, 9th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (8 April 1907 – 4 November 1988), styled Earl of Lincoln from 1928 to 1941, was a British peer and aviator. Background Born at Whitehall Court, Henry Edward Hugh Pelham-C ...

who sold it in 1970 to the W.D. & H.O. Wills tobacco company who used it as a training centre. Shockerwick House in 1790

Since 1983 it has been used as a Nursing Home and is run by

Bupa Bupa , legally British United Provident Association Limited, is an international health insurance and healthcare group with over 38 million customers worldwide. Bupa's origins and global headquarters are in the United Kingdom. Its main countr ...

References

{{reflist Houses completed in 1750 Grade I listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset Grade I listed houses in Somerset

See also

References