Building record MDO47315 - Homefield Lodge, Burton, Christchurch

Homefield School, formerly Winkton Lodge, is a large two-storey villa of the early 19th century with ancillary buildings, formerly located within gardens and parkland and largely bounded by walls. The architect is not at present known. It became a school in the mid-20th century and closed in 2005.The former Homefield School is a two-storey building of painted and rendered brick with a hipped, modern slate roof with wide eaves. The fenestration has been mostly replaced and is a mix of aluminium and uPVC sash-style windows. On plan it comprises of two principal blocks that are each rectangular, one of four-bays and a five-bay section to the south. The principal front, which faces west, is asymmetrical. The southern block has a pedimented porch on double pilasters with a canted bay to the left and a single window to the right. The building was assessed for listing in 2012, but failed to meet the required criteria.

Although there is a late-18th century reference to this estate, the former Homefield School is a large two-storey villa of the early 19th century with ancillary buildings, formerly located within gardens and parkland and largely bounded by walls. The architect is not at present known. In 1797 the estate was purchased by Edmund Walcott and the house was said to be the home of Admiral Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons (1790-1858), who became Commander of the Black Sea Fleet during the Crimean War. In the Hampshire index of country houses, compiled in the 1920s, the house is described as a “small estate with 12 bedroomed house, walled kitchen garden, grounds and farmer�. The Walcott family owned the building until the 1920s, after which Winkton Lodge became Homefield School, probably in the mid-20th century, single-storey extensions were added on the south side of the house and the former coach house and garages were converted to classrooms. Additional outbuildings, mostly single-storey prefabs, have also been built to the north and rear of the house and sports facilities including tennis courts and playing fields were laid out in the grounds. The school closed in 2005 and the site has since been vacant. It is understood that a fire has damaged the roof of the former Homefield School and that most of the building’s internal features, including fireplaces, have been removed.

The former Homefield School is a two-storey building of painted and rendered brick with a hipped, modern slate roof with wide eaves. The fenestration has been mostly replaced and is a mix of aluminium and uPVC sash-style windows. On plan it comprises of two principal blocks that are each rectangular, one of four-bays and a five-bay section to the south. The principal front, which faces west, is asymmetrical. The southern block has a pedimented porch on double pilasters with a canted bay to the left and a single window to the right. To the first floor are five windows; those to bays two and four are slightly advanced and set in wooden cases with a panel below and a cornice above, flanking plain plaster. The northern block breaks forwards and has an off-centre entrance with windows to either side. The first floor windows include a shallow projecting canted oriel window to the far right. The garden (east) elevation of the south block also has a central entrance with pedimented door case, flanked by pairs of windows to both floors and a further window above the doorway. No information was provided on the interior of the building which is understood to have suffered from vandalism in recent years. Most of the grounds are situated to the rear; the 1879 Ordnance Survey map depicts large areas of lawns and mature trees; although parts have since been built over.

Assessment: as set out in the Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings (March 2010), although most buildings pre-dating 1840 are listed, progressively greater selection is required for post-1840 buildings because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived. Further guidance of the designation of domestic buildings is laid out in the English Heritage Listing Selection Guide Domestic 3: Suburban and Country Houses (October 2011), which states that houses erected after 1840 must demonstrate exceptional qualities of architectural design, decoration, materials and craftsmanship, intactness, or must be of historic interest in a national context. Gardens are assessed against criteria for inclusion in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. Those laid out between 1750 and 1840, where enough of the layout survives to reflect the original design, are likely to be designated. For gardens laid out after 1840, they should survive relatively intact with the degree of special interest that they must hold increasing as the site becomes closer in time. As such, it is considered that the buildings and parkland of the former Homefield School do not merit designation for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest: the former Homefield School, historically known as Winkton Lodge, is typical of the architecture of the period and, whilst being a competent example of the Regency style, it does not exhibit the high degree of architectural interest that is required from a house of this late date;

Plan: the house appears to have undergone major changes in plan since the time of its construction. The subdivision and extension of the building during the 20th century also suggests a rearrangement of the internal floor plan;

Alteration: the replacement windows and roof materials suggest a modernisation of the house which is likely to have resulted in the updating of internal features, while the former coach house has also been converted to classrooms;

Lack of a designed landscape: the main emphasis of the garden lies in its tree planting rather than its design and parts have been built over in the second half of the 20th century.

It is acknowledged that the former Homefield School, historically known as Winkton Lodge, makes a strong contribution to the conservation area, which affords it an appropriate level of statutory protection, and has local interest for being the home of Admiral Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons. The buildings and gardens do, however, not meet the criteria for designation in a national context. <1>

<1> Historic England, UDS Non-Designation case report, Report on no list case 471069, assesed in 2012 (Scheduling record). SDO18398.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1578362 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 30 2024 10:35AM