The Summer House
A Georgian Gothic folly in the centre of a landscaped park designed by Capability Brown.
Warnford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3LA
Wheelchair access to the main floor up a slope to the garden door. No disabled cloakroom.
Eighteenth-century Gothic folly in the centre of a landscaped park designed by Capability Brown. Originally built as a bathhouse for Lord Clanricade, probably to designs by Brown himself, the house sits above a broad terrace with panoramic views up to Old Winchester Hill.
Running beneath the house is a tributary of the river Meon, which originally fed the bathing pool.
The house has been sensitively restored over several years and now exhibits its original Georgian appearance. Windows, casement shutters, doors and cornicing have all been reinstated, and the rooms, as well as the double-storey hall, have been restored to their earlier height. There is an octagon dining room with Chinese wallpaper, two sitting rooms with eighteenth-century Gothic fireplaces and the original bathing room downstairs, which is now a modern bathroom.
The garden has been extensively replanted with the trees, shrubs, roses and a topiary yew hedge that might have featured in the landscape two centuries ago.
Tours include the Saxon/Norman church and the ruins of St John’s House circa 1150.
TOUR DURATION
2½ hours
TOUR PRICES
£20.00 per person.
REFRESHMENTS
Tea, coffee and cakes, or wine and canapes depending on the time of the tour.
Historic Houses tours that are scheduled will be listed at the bottom of this page. If none are scheduled yet, please check back later, or find other tours you might enjoy on our tours listing page here.
This house is not part of the Free for Members scheme, but is one of many houses on our website that we support to promote their tours, weddings, filming, and other commercial offerings. To see all the places you can visit as a Historic Houses member, please visit our ‘Free for Members’ listings page here. Or to find out more about how the membership scheme works and how it supports our work to protect independent heritage, visit our page here.
Wheelchair access to the main floor up a slope to the garden door. No disabled cloakroom.
Getting here
Warnford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3LA
Take the A3 out of London and continue past Guildford about 20 miles to the second exit marked Petersfield/Winchester A272. Follow the A272 towards Winchester until you hit the junction with the A32, where you turn left, through West Meon, then Warnford.
About half a mile after Warnford there is a turning to the left at a sign marked Pony Club. Turn down lane and about 200 yards on the left there is a closed gate marked The Summer House. Open and shut gate and continue up drive, ignoring large redbrick house ahead of you, and bearing right to the flint house with blue windows.
Visitors said
Thank you very much for a charming afternoon on Monday. We loved the Summer House and really enjoyed the visit.
My husband and I enjoyed the afternoon very much. We were very impressed with Mr Thuillier's sympathetic restoration of the house and also his extensive knowledge of its history. He was a warm and welcoming host and provided some lovely refreshments which were much appreciated!
Many thanks for a most interesting tour!! And well done saving the house.
Thank you for a very enjoyable afternoon. And thank you very much for the lovely catering you provided.