Sennicotts
Encyclopedia
Sennicotts is a small estate
near Chichester, West Sussex, England, formed in 1809 by Charles Baker (1761–1839) having retired after serving in Madras, with the British East India Company
. In the following years, he built the house (1810), the lodge (1815) and the chapel (1829). Charles Baker was the son of a Chichester surgeon, and claimed descent from the Bakers of Mayfield, the great Sussex Ironmasters.
The architect of the house is thought to have been James Elmes
(1782–1862), who is known to have submitted a design for Oakwood, the house opposite Sennicotts, and who lived at Oving nearby. Elmes was a friend of Sir John Soane, and artchitectural features such as the entrance hall, which is cube shaped and has a ceiling of shallow ‘groined’ vaulting, is very similar to Soane’s drawing room at Aynhoe Park
. The ends of the hall are in the form of shallow apse
s, with marbled niches, and below the bold cornice
runs an egg-and-dart
moulding. Both the drawing and dining rooms at Sennicotts have coved ceilings with a bead moulding on the ceiling flat, and an unusual leaf enriched torus moulding at the cornice.
Charles Baker lived until 1839, when the estate passed to his nephew, Christopher Teesdale. The Teesdales did not inhabit the house, but continued to be buried in the family vault below the chapel, until it was made into a Church for this part of the extensive Parish of Funtington, following the sale of the rest of the estate in 1929.
Between 1839 and 1929, the house was let to a succession of tenants, the most notable being Prince Louis of Battenberg, who had Sennicotts as his first home after his marriage in 1884. The house is mentioned in David Duff’s “Hessian Tapestry”, and another book called “Louis and Victoria”, and in an earlier work on Prince Louis written by Mark Kerr, the Prince’s letter at the end of June 1885 says how sad he was to leave Sennicotts.
The new owner in 1929 was William P. Wilson, who built the Music Room with a fine Venetian window at one end, a bow window at the side, and a shallow vaulted ceiling of the kind favoured by Repton, Soane and other Regency
architects.
After a period as 'Combined Operations' during the Second World War, the house was purchased by Captain Geoffrey Bowes-Lyon, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. After his death in 1951, the house was occupied by his son, Major-General Sir James Bowes-Lyon
, when not stationed in Germany.
The house was sold to the late Mrs. Rowland Rank, sister-in-law of J Arthur Rank and daughter-in-law of Joseph Rank
the flour miller, in 1961 and it remains in her family.
Alternative historic spelling of Sennicotts: Sennicots, Sennicott, Scynecat (1810)
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
near Chichester, West Sussex, England, formed in 1809 by Charles Baker (1761–1839) having retired after serving in Madras, with the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. In the following years, he built the house (1810), the lodge (1815) and the chapel (1829). Charles Baker was the son of a Chichester surgeon, and claimed descent from the Bakers of Mayfield, the great Sussex Ironmasters.
The architect of the house is thought to have been James Elmes
James Elmes
James Elmes was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts.-Biography:...
(1782–1862), who is known to have submitted a design for Oakwood, the house opposite Sennicotts, and who lived at Oving nearby. Elmes was a friend of Sir John Soane, and artchitectural features such as the entrance hall, which is cube shaped and has a ceiling of shallow ‘groined’ vaulting, is very similar to Soane’s drawing room at Aynhoe Park
Aynhoe Park
Aynhoe Park, is a Grade I listed 17th-century country house rebuilt after the English Civil War on the southern edge of the stone-built village of Aynho near Banbury, Oxfordshire. It overlooks the Cherwell valley that divides Northamptonshire from Oxfordshire. The house represents four...
. The ends of the hall are in the form of shallow apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s, with marbled niches, and below the bold cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
runs an egg-and-dart
Egg-and-dart
Egg-and-dart or Egg-and-tongue is an ornamental device often carved in wood, stone, or plaster quarter-round ovolo mouldings, consisting of an egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an arrow, anchor or dart. Egg-and-dart enrichment of the ovolo molding of the Ionic capital is...
moulding. Both the drawing and dining rooms at Sennicotts have coved ceilings with a bead moulding on the ceiling flat, and an unusual leaf enriched torus moulding at the cornice.
Charles Baker lived until 1839, when the estate passed to his nephew, Christopher Teesdale. The Teesdales did not inhabit the house, but continued to be buried in the family vault below the chapel, until it was made into a Church for this part of the extensive Parish of Funtington, following the sale of the rest of the estate in 1929.
Between 1839 and 1929, the house was let to a succession of tenants, the most notable being Prince Louis of Battenberg, who had Sennicotts as his first home after his marriage in 1884. The house is mentioned in David Duff’s “Hessian Tapestry”, and another book called “Louis and Victoria”, and in an earlier work on Prince Louis written by Mark Kerr, the Prince’s letter at the end of June 1885 says how sad he was to leave Sennicotts.
The new owner in 1929 was William P. Wilson, who built the Music Room with a fine Venetian window at one end, a bow window at the side, and a shallow vaulted ceiling of the kind favoured by Repton, Soane and other Regency
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
architects.
After a period as 'Combined Operations' during the Second World War, the house was purchased by Captain Geoffrey Bowes-Lyon, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. After his death in 1951, the house was occupied by his son, Major-General Sir James Bowes-Lyon
James Bowes-Lyon
Major-General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon KCVO CB OBE MC was Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin.-Military career:Bowes-Lyon was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1938. He served in the Guards Armoured Division during World War II.In 1955 he became Commandant at the Guards...
, when not stationed in Germany.
The house was sold to the late Mrs. Rowland Rank, sister-in-law of J Arthur Rank and daughter-in-law of Joseph Rank
Joseph Rank
Joseph Rank was the founder of Rank Hovis McDougall, one of the United Kingdom's largest flour-milling businesses.-Career:...
the flour miller, in 1961 and it remains in her family.
Alternative historic spelling of Sennicotts: Sennicots, Sennicott, Scynecat (1810)