Woodside, Old Windsor
Woodside is a large detached house with 37 acres (15 ha) of gardens in
History
Woodside was originally built in the 1500s for
18th century
In 1752 Hugh Hammersley acquired Woodside upon his marriage to Ann Clark. By 1755 Hammersley had rebuilt the house in the fashionable Gothic revival style and laid out extensive plantings of shrubberies and flower gardens around the property.[3] Hammersley's Rococo gardens at Woodside were captured in three paintings by Thomas Robins the Elder, including a 'Chinese kiosk', an early example of chinoiserie which was inspired by the Chinese Pavilion at Kew Gardens. Robins's paintings are the only evidence for the composition of Woodside's gardens in the 18th century.[3]
A broadside ballad of the 1750s in the English Broadside Ballad Archive collated by the University of California, Santa Barbara recounts the tale of a 'human monster' who resided at Woodside who had been "noted for the infamous feat of eating a cat alive" and that he had been "apprehended and committed to gaol, on a charge of murdering an infant six years old".[4]
19th century
Woodside was the home of
Woodside was advertised for sale in The Times in July 1849 through Messrs Daniel Smith and Sons. The advertisement described a "substantial mansion of the Elizabethan style of architecture" situated in a small park "studded with venerable old oaks and other valuable timber". The estate was listed at 122 acres (49 ha) including a small farm, "walled gardens, beautiful pleasure rounds, a conservatory, an ornamental cottage residence and farmhouse buildings".[7]
It was purchased at that time by the merchant William Devas, and was therefore the childhood home of the political economist Charles Stanton Devas.[8]
20th century
Colonel William Webb Follett died at Woodside in April 1926.[9] His widow, Lady Julia Alice Kennedy, daughter of The 2nd Marquess of Ailsa, lived on at the house until her death in December 1936. A fire at the house in April 1928 considerably damaged woodwork and paneling dating back to the time of James II, and a 'large and historic old fireplace' had to be demolished to make way for the fire services. A wooden beam that had been 'smouldering for weeks' was believed to be the cause.[10] Lady Julia's obituary in The Times wrote of her that "She never used a telephone or drove in a car, and her house, the largest in the village, was lit with oil lamps".[11]
Elton John
Since 1975 the house has been the principal residence of the English musician and composer
The subsequent redesign and refurbishment of the house was begun in 1989 and took three years. It was carried out by Adrian Cooper-Grigg and Andrew Protheroe, with the proviso that they should attempt to create an English country house that resembled the seat of a well established family with their objects accumulated over successive generations. Protheroe said that John "wanted it to look like something that had evolved ...something that had happened instead of being contrived"; the pair consequently acquired many antiques and objets d'art.[1] Brown described the interior decoration on his 2010 visit as consisting of "capacious sofas – an aura of Aubusson, cut moquette, damask – and deep carpets. There are vases spilling with flowers, elaborately carved tables, every surface covered with exquisite porcelain."[13] The restrictions on building materials after the Second World War meant that Woodside's ceilings are comparatively low at only 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m), and to increase the perceived height of the rooms Cooper-Grigg and Protheroe added columns and mouldings and allowed draperies to pool on the floor.[1]
The indoor swimming pool was redesigned to resemble an ancient Roman bath and the front entrance was designed to highlight the
Woodside is the site of The White Tie and Tiara Ball, an annual charitable ball held to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.[15]
Art
The main house is hung with mainly 18th- and 19th-century paintings, including works by
A former garage block situated at the rear of the main house has been redesigned as a purpose-built art gallery; it stands between the main house and Woodside's tennis court. It was designed by the architect Jack Schneider and was completed in 2009. One wall of the gallery is clad in copper, with another featuring a running waterfall. The mezzanine level of the gallery is home to a large library of art books.
Gardens
The present gardens at Woodside were laid out in the late 1980s by the garden designers Gordon Taylor and Guy Cooper under the direction of Rosemary Verey. Verey's biographer, Barbara Paul Robinson, felt that working for John with his large annual expenditure on Woodside was a welcome change for her since she had become used to clients who complained about costs.[16] After being contacted by John's personal assistant in 1987, Verey recalled the name 'Woodside' from Robins's 18th-century paintings of the Rococo garden, and found a limited edition of a book featuring the paintings, which she presented to John. Verey was asked for a detailed garden plan for Woodside at short notice in 1988, and enlisted the help of Taylor and Cooper as she had no garden staff of her own.[17] She described herself as an 'advisor' on the garden project, which involved detailed minuted meetings with landscape designers, architects and full-time gardeners.[17] A water garden at Woodside with spouting fountains, large 'overflowing' flowering pots and scented borders was inspired by the Generalife gardens of the Alhambra in Granada. Verey claimed credit for its creation against the wishes of other gardeners; it is not clear who is responsible for its creation.[18]
Verey initially planted and helped develop a white garden, a rainbow border (nicknamed the Ribbon Borders) inspired by
Various
The gardens are also home to a former W2-class Melbourne tram (No. 520)[23] which John imported from Australia in the 1980s in what he described as one of "my drug-induced moments", stating in a 2010 interview that the tram cost "Ten thousand to buy it. And a million to ship it over".[13][24]
The gardens of Woodside also contain an organic
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Elton John's High-Rise Condominium in Atlanta and Woodside English Estate". Architectural Digest. January 1993. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Elton John: Why I love my garden". The Times. No. 66030. 25 October 1997. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ ISBN 0-8122-3457-X.
- ^ "EBBA 32442". English Broadside Ballad Archive. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- History of Parliament. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Windsor Berks, castle (1828). The visitants' guide to Windsor castle and its vicinity. p. 137.
- ^ "The Beautiful Estate and Residence of Old Windsor, Berks". The Times. No. 20240. 28 July 1849. p. 11. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ Devas, Francis Charles. "Charles Stanton Devas." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 6 March 2019
- ^ "Naval and Military". The Times. No. 42691. 11 April 1926. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ "Fire at Old Windsor". The Times. No. 44867. 14 April 1928. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ "Obituary". The Times. No. 47566. 24 December 1936. p. 14. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ a b Elizabeth Lambert (May 2000). "Elton John's Lavish Residences in London and Nice". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mick Brown (25 October 2010). "Elton John interview". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Elton John Auction Nets $8.2 Million". The New York Times. 10 September 1988. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ The Evening Standard. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ Robinson 2012, p. 133.
- ^ a b Robinson 2012, p. 134.
- ^ Robinson 2012, p. 136.
- ^ "Elton's Monster". The Times. No. 65696. 28 September 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ Robinson 2012, p. 137.
- ^ Robinson 2012, p. 144.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56792-440-4.
- ^ "W Class". Rail Page. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "A fix for tram junkies". The Age. 3 December 2003. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- Robinson, Barbara Paul (2012). Rosemary Verey: The Life & Lessons of a Legendary Gardener. London: David R. Godine. ISBN 978-1-56-792450-3.
External links
Media related to Woodside, Old Windsor at Wikimedia Commons