Dorton House (Buckinghamshire)
Encyclopedia
Dorton House is a Grade I Listed Jacobean
country house
near the village
of Dorton
in Buckinghamshire
, England
.
The house was built between 1596 and 1626 by Sir John Dormer
on the site of a previous house. The house is in a Gothic
Style and is in a horseshoe shape. The house was built from bricks made from local clay fired at the bottom of Brill Hill.
The house was sold in 1783 to Sir John Fletcher and remained in his family till 1928 when it was sold to Major Michael Beaumont. The Royal London Society for the Blind
then purchased the House in 1939 as a school before they moved to Wildernesse
in Seal
, Kent
in 1955. At this point the school was purchased by James Harrison for Ashfold School
and turned into a preparatory school
which to this day is what the House is still used for.
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
near the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Dorton
Dorton
Dorton is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire. It is in the western part of the county, about north of the Oxfordshire market town of Thame.-Manor:...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The house was built between 1596 and 1626 by Sir John Dormer
John Dormer (of Dorton)
Sir John Dormer was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1604 and 1622.Dormer was the son of William Dormer of Thame, Oxfordshire and grandson of Sir Michael Dormer who was Lord Mayor of London in 1541. Dormer of built a mansion at Dorton...
on the site of a previous house. The house is in a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Style and is in a horseshoe shape. The house was built from bricks made from local clay fired at the bottom of Brill Hill.
The house was sold in 1783 to Sir John Fletcher and remained in his family till 1928 when it was sold to Major Michael Beaumont. The Royal London Society for the Blind
Royal London Society for the Blind
The Royal London Society for the Blind is a UK charity offering education, training, life-skills and employment services for blind and partially-sighted adults and children.- History :...
then purchased the House in 1939 as a school before they moved to Wildernesse
Dorton House
Dorton House, formerly known as Wildernesse, is a Grade II listed Georgian mansion house in Seal, Kent, near Sevenoaks; it is currently used as the headquarters for the Royal London Society for the Blind and as housing for the blind and partially sighted children who attend its school.Dorton House...
in Seal
Seal, Kent
Seal is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located in the valley between the North Downs and the Greensand ridge to the north east of Sevenoaks town....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1955. At this point the school was purchased by James Harrison for Ashfold School
Ashfold School
Ashfold School is a private day and boarding preparatory school for about 270 boys and girls aged 3 to 13. It is situated in a Grade 1 Listed Jacobean Mansion named Dorton House in the village of Dorton near the cities of Oxford, Bicester and Aylesbury in the English county of...
and turned into a preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
which to this day is what the House is still used for.
External links
- Ashfold School official website
- Dorton House official website