High Elms Manor
| High Elms Manor | |
| Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|
 High Elms Manor | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL11120158 |
| Location: | 51°42’7"N, 0°23’37"W |
| Village: | Garston |
| History | |
| Built 1812 | |
| For: | Augustus Cavendish Bradshaw |
| Country House | |
| Georgian | |
| Information | |
| Website: | highelmsmanor.com |
High Elms Manor is a Georgian country house standing near Garston in Hertfordshire, to the north of Watford. It was built in around 1812, and was originally known as "High Elms", but from the 1890s to 2010 it was called Garston Manor.[1]
The house is a Grade II listed building.[2]
In the year after the Second World War, the house was a rehabilitation centre, but it later fell derelict. In the 1990s an American named Sheila O'Neill bought and restored it and used it as a Montessori School.
Augustus and Mary Ann Cavendish Bradshaw
Augustus Cavendish Bradshaw was the originator of High Elms. He appears to have purchased the Estate in the early 1800s and either built High Elms or made very substantial alterations to a small existing building.[3] He and his wife Mary Ann were a very notable society couple at this time, though not without some notoriety as Mary Ann had divorced her husband, the Earl of Westmeath after a sensational trial in 1796, and married Augustus Bradshaw immediately afterwards.[4]
Mary Ann had considerable literary talent and wrote two novels. The first was called “Maria Countess of D’Alva” which she wrote 1808 and is set at the time of the Spanish Armada in the 16th Century. The second novel written in 1810, was called “Ferdinand and Ordella: A Russian Story” and was at the time of Peter the Great. Both novels were written during the period that the couple lived at High Elms. In 1806, Sir Thomas Lawrence painted the portraits of both Mary Ann and Augustus.[5] and Mary Ann’s portrait is shown on the left.
Augustus became a Member of Parliament in 1805 and continued in this position until 1817. When he completed his Parliamentary career he put High Elms on the market. The advertisement in “The Times” in 1817 read as follows and is shown on the right.
- “The singularly elegant freehold villa called High Elms situated near the picturesque cross road leading from Watford to St Albans, Hertfordshire is in a beautiful country abounding with field sports lately the admired residence of the Honourable A. Cavendish Bradshaw from whom the same has received the most substantial additions and many elegant improvements at a very great expense”.[6]
Residents of High Elms between 1820 and 1890
John Ryley bought High Elms, and soon afterwards he acquired a large amount of the surrounding land so that the estate was increased from 82 acres in 1817 to 170 acres in 1847. He also bought Fortune Farm and Winch Farm which were adjoining properties. The advertisement which sold all of these estates after his death and gives further details was in The Times of 1847.[7] A map which shows these properties is at the right.
After several changes of ownership by various noteworthy local personages, the house was bought in the 1890s by Claude and Ada Annie Watney, who lived there until 1911. At some time during the 1890s the name of the house was changed from High Elms to Garston Manor.
During the War years the property was heavily defended with pill boxes and fortified trenches and 3 large air raid shelters were built, however there seems to be no record of occupation by presumably one of the services during this period.
In about 1951, Garston Manor was sold to the Hospital Board and it became a rehabilitation centre for many years until it closed in 1997 and was sold to the present owner Sheila O'Neill. She restored the property and it became a school.
On film and television
The manor was used as a film location for various television series and films such as:[8]
- Nancherrow
- Second Sight
- Longitude
- Madame Bovary (2000 film)
- The Hoobs
- The Last Client
- Featherboy
- Ultimate Force
- Midsummer Murders (used three times)
- The Schartz Metter Klume Method
- Rosemary & Thyme (episode "Enter Two Gardeners")
- The Thieving Headmistress
- Chucklevision
- Clandestine
- EastEnders
- Holby City (used twice)
- Little Miss Jocelyn
- Invisible Eyes
- Love at First Sight (2010 film)
- In Clear Sight
- Morgana.
In 2011 the house was the subject of a Channel 4 television documentary as part of the Country House Rescue series. The programme included the official renaming of Garston Manor as "High Elms Manor", with the Mayor of Watford cutting the ribbon amidst a celebratory tea party. The series presenter, Ruth Watson, encouraged Mrs O'Neill and three of her four daughters, who teach at the school and live in the house with their families, to develop their weddings and events business to generate the extra income needed to maintain the house.
Outside links
References
- ↑ A History of the County of Hertford - Volume 2 pp 451–464: Watford: Manors (Victoria County History) – [1]
- ↑ National Heritage List 1173003: Garston Manor
- ↑ The Times (London) May 23, 1817; pg. 4.
- ↑ Sage, L et al, 1999 “The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English”, p. 83.
- ↑ Garlick, Kenneth 1989 “Sir Thomas Lawrence: a complete catalogue of his oil paintings”, p. 157.
- ↑ The Times (London), May 23, 1817; pg. 4;
- ↑ The Times (London) May 29, 1847; pg. 12
- ↑ High Elms Manor
