DiCamillo Companion
England

Amesbury Abbey (Amesbury House)

  • Earlier Houses: On, or near, the site of the current house was Amesbury Abbey, a 10th century Benedictine nunnery. In the 12th century a new order, the Fontevrauds, took over and renamed the abbey Amesbury Priory. In the 16th century, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a number of houses were built that incorporated elements of the earlier monastic buildings. In the 17th century the 1st Marquess of Hertford built Amesbury House. During the 18th century Amesbury House was a major center of culture and entertaining that was presided over by the 3rd Duke of Queensberry and his duchess, Kitty (Catherine). The name of nearby Wilbury Park is believed to derive from the "Wil" of Wilton House and the "bury" of Amesbury House, two houses once believed to be by Inigo Jones, to whom Benson, the architect of Wilbury, was paying tribute.

    Built / Designed For: Sir Edmund Antrobus, 2nd Bt.

    House & Family History: The palace-style Amesbury Abbey, considered a major example of Thomas Hopper's eclectic style, echoes much of the earlier Amesbury House that was designed by Webb in the 17th century (see drawing from "Vitruvius Britannicus" in "Images" section). The most impressive view of today's 19th century house is the grand South Facade of nine bays, complete with a giant portico of six composite columns raised on an arcaded rusticated plinth in the form of a porte-cochère. The fireplaces in the sitting and dining rooms were very likely designed by Henry Flitcroft for the earlier Amesbury House. In 1940, during World War II, the house served as the headquarters of the Second Australian Imperial Force. In the 1960s Amesbury Abbey was converted into flats; the house was redeveloped as a care home in 1980, a purpose it continues to serve today.

  • Garden & Outbuildings: Until 1915, when the estate broken up and sold by the Antrobus family, Stonehenge was part of the Amesbury Abbey Estate. The house is today set in 140 acres of historic parkland through which flows the River Avon.

  • Architect: Thomas Hopper

    Date: 1850s
    Designed: Alterations

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    Architect: Charles Bridgeman

    Date: 1730s
    Designed: Landscaping

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    Architect: Detmar Jellings Blow

    Date: 1904
    Designed: Alterations

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    Architect: Thomas Hopper

    Date: 1834-40
    Designed: Second (current) house

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    Architect: John Webb

    Date: 1660
    Designed: First house (demolished)

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    Architect: William Oldham Chambers

    Date: 1772
    Designed: Altered or redecorated Chinese Temple for Duchess of Queensberry

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    Architect: Henry Flitcroft

    Date: Circa 1730
    Designed: Alterations and alterations to first house, probably including the addition of wings, for 3rd Duke of Queensberry.

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  • Vitruvius Britannicus: C. III, pl. 7, 1725.

  • Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - HARDBACK
    Author: Colvin, Howard
    Year Published: 2008
    Reference: pg. 244
    Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
    ISBN: 9780300125085
    Book Type: Hardback

    Title: Classical Architecture in Britain: The Heroic Age
    Author: Worsley, Giles
    Year Published: 1995
    Reference: pg. 23
    Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press (The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art)
    ISBN: 0300058969
    Book Type: Hardback

  • House Listed: Grade I

    Park Listed: Grade II*

  • Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSES: Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, and 1st Viscount Beauchamp, until 1552; Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and 1st Baron Beauchamp, 1552-1621; William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, 1621-60; William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset, 1660-71. Henry Boyle, 1st Baron Carleton, 1720-25. Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry and 2nd Duke of Dover, 1725-78; William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry, 1778-1810; Douglas family here until 1825. Sir Edmund Antrobus, 2nd Bt., 1825-40. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: Sir Edmund Antrobus, 2nd Bt., 1840-70; Sir Edmund Antrobus, 3rd Bt., 1870-99; Sir Edmund Antrobus, 4th Bt., 1899-1915; Sir Cosmo Gordon Antrobus, 5th Bt., 1915-39; Sir Philip Humphrey Antrobus, 6th Bt., 1939-60.

    Current Ownership Type: Corporation

    Primary Current Ownership Use: Retirement Home

    Ownership Details: Today part of the Amesbury Abbey Group of retirement homes

  • House Open to Public: No

    Phone: 01962-760-573

    Email: [email protected]

    Website: https://www.amesburyabbey.com/

    Historic Houses Member: No

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