Shirley House was built in the later part of the 18th century for retired West Indian plantation owner, Richard Wilson. It stood at the junction of modern-day Clarendon and Henty Roads. The site is bisected by modern Shirley Park Road, which was named after the estate. Sales particulars of 1792 show it to be a substantial dwelling, with double coach houses, stabling for eight horses, pleasure gardens, a small farm and a large paddock, the total comprising about 48 acres. In 1802 it was occupied by the Reverend Sir Charles Rich and it remained with that family until 1836, when it was sold to property developer William Henry Roe. Roe eventually sold off the estate for development and the house was demolished in the 1880s.
Shirley House
Engraving, possibly from the sales particulars of W. H. Roe in 1852.
Shirley House×
see also
Further reading:
Lost Houses of Southampton, by Jessica Vale. (HS/i)
‘The Country Houses of Southampton’, by Jessica Vale in Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society, volume 39, 1983, p174, 181. (HS/i)
More Stories of Southampton Streets, by A. G. K. Leonard, p89-98 (HS/h)
Southampton Occasional Notes 2nd Series, by ‘Townsman’, p58. (HS/h)
Southampton Occasional Notes, by ‘Townsman’, p46. (HS/h)
Navigation
Browse A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y-Z
Get Involved
If you wish to
- suggest additional information for this entry
- suggest amendments to this entry
- offer your own research
- make a comment
then fill in the form on the Contact page.