Eynsham Hall, Oxfordshire, England

The History of Eynsham Hall

On this site for over 300 years has stood one of Oxfordshire’s great country houses. It originated from one landowner’s efforts to keep up with the wealth and times of the early 1700s. Willoughby Lacey enclosed vast acres of his land to create his own pleasure parkland. At the heart of this was the newly built Eynsham Manor, a typical Georgian house with its Greek style columns, elegant interiors and grand gardens. In 1778 he sold the estate to London auctioneer and newspaper proprietor Robert Langford. On Langford’s death in 1785, ownership passed to his chief legatee, James Duberley. Duberley and his five daughters remained at the Hall until 1799 when the Reverend John Robinson moved in. His stay was relatively short and in 1805, for reasons unknown, he sold the manor and estate to Sir Thomas Parker.Sir Thomas’ father,(ed: Sir Thomas's Father was not as stated here 4th Earl of Macclesfield) the 4th Earl of Macclesfield purchased Eynsham Hall to serve as a dower house for Shirburn Castle. On the death of Sir Thomas’ mother Eliza, Dowager Countess of Macclesfield, the estate was sold to Sir Thomas Bazley MP, a prominent Lancashire cotton manufacturer. Best known for his hatred of holly trees, Bazley had them cut down and burnt all over the park. This did not make him the most popular of owners with the local country people, as English folklore considers it ‘unlucky to lay steel to them.’ 1866 saw the arrival of the present freeholders’s grandfather, James Mason, who was a mining engineer, having made his fortune from copper in Portugal. After his death in 1903, his son James Francis Mason and his wife Lady Evelyn took over the Hall. Since the Hall was built, two additional floors have been added, one by Sir Charles Barry in 1843 and then a further floor by Owen Jones in 1872. It was felt at that time the house was not proportionally balanced or suitable for entertaining in a grand scale. In 1904 the Georgian house was demolished and the original foundations of the Georgian building were completely removed. Ernest George (later to become Sir Ernest George) was appointed as the architect and he supervised the construction to his design of the present day Jacobean style mansion which was completed in 1908. The new Hall was an H plan, 3 storey building with squared and coursed grey limestone with ruddy coloured Ashlar quoins and dressings. The Hall was finely decorated throughout with oak panelling, stone fire places, strapwork ceilings and fine panelled doors. Of particular importance was the Library with its mahogany bookcases and finely carved door cases, with its C18 coloured marble fireplace and plasterwork ceiling in Inigo Jones style. Another room of importance is the Billiard’s room (now named as the Oak Room) with its French style chimney place, with putti holding armorial cortouche by William Firth. Both the Red Room and Green Room had fine silk that was removed in the 90’s and was recently found discarded; large quantities have been cleaned and restored for future use. Only a few items remain from the Georgian house that were used in the new Hall. These include Georgian fireplaces and very fine oriental screens by Owen Jones c 1872 which can now be found on the first floor in the Peacock Lounge and Langford 7 meeting room. In 1908 Eynsham Hall boasted its own water works, gas plant, electricity station and private telephone links to all parts of the estate. Eynsham Hall was a family home between 1908 and 1914 but with the onset of World War One, like many great houses of the day, the house was used to assist in the war effort. Eynsham Hall was first used by Barclays Bank, the Air Ministry, and as a maternity hospital. From 1946, for 35 years, it was a District Police Training Centre and provided basic training over a period of 12 weeks to Police Constable recruits. Even today many ex-policemen return for a nostalgic visit. In 1981 the Hall became a conference and training centre and although the top floor has been altered, the major rooms on the other floors remain unchanged and nearly all the original features remain. Between 1988 and 1993 the Court and Lodge accommodation blocks were built Additionally the main entrance hall has been completely refurbished. The bar, previously on the first floor, is now located in the original ‘Gun Room’ and has itself won a prestigious design award for interior design. In it’s three centuries, Eynsham Hall has seen many changes and a series of varied occupants. We have exciting development plans including returning the first floor rooms to bedrooms and building a new East Wing with the intention of enhancing the historical features of this great building for future generations to enjoy.

this project is in History Link