Lansdowne House - Knowle- Aug 20

[BikinGlynn]

Ok a bit missleading that title, there is no house here but rather just barns & greenhouse.

I actually pulled in this entrance to relieve myself when out the other month & thought whats this then!

Im honestly baffled by whats happened here. The place was up for sale in 2014 for 2m & looked a stunning well kept property

https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/lansdowne-knowle-property-day-review-6462202

The house for some reason has been razzed to the ground, maybe a fire? but I cant find anything on the net to suggest this.

Also baffling I cant find any pics from inside the house, did anyone ever explore this? Id be really intrigued to see pics if they have.

The history is equally as sparse, I did find that Knowle congregational church had a special Church meeting on 7th. November 1946, it was agreed to purchase the Three Manual, five pedal and 32 stops Reed Organ by John Holt. The organ was originally installed at Lansdowne House, a large house at the foot of Stripes Hill. The cost was £375 plus £25 dismantle and re-erection.

So thats it, all I can find about the place, Im sure someone will be able to discover more.

One of the nicest features was this lister diesel generator, presumably the only source of power for the house at one point.

The barns were mainly empty

Rather nice workshop / Tack room at the end

& that proper greenhouse

All that remains of the house

Bits of the ornate pond remain

Thats it from here

 

[Sam Haltin]

Not worth the 2 million now.

 

[BikinGlynn]

Not worth the 2 million now.

No lol but I guess they have big plans for it, its a huge site

 

[NoseyGit]

Bloody Hell, what a shame. What a magnificent pile it was.

 

[HughieD]

Really nice work there mate...

 

[maxcapelin]

I live in Knowle. It was abandoned even when the house was there. Kids used to sneak in and party and get drunk in there and trashed the place. There is a pool there as well you never mentioned seeing that but if you want some pictures and videos I do have some. Underneath all the ruble the basement of the house still stands but is very unstable and is hard to get in.

 

[HistoryBuff]

I live in Knowle. It was abandoned even when the house was there. Kids used to sneak in and party and get drunk in there and trashed the place. There is a pool there as well you never mentioned seeing that but if you want some pictures and videos I do have some. Underneath all the ruble the basement of the house still stands but is very unstable and is hard to get in.

Do you know why it was abandoned?

 

[maxcapelin]

Do you know why it was abandoned?

Pretty sure the wife left with the kids and the man was left with a huge house and grounds and he couldn’t look after it so moved out and put it on the market but it never sold so was left there. Then the man died and it has been abandoned since.

 

[CES]

I live in Knowle. It was abandoned even when the house was there. Kids used to sneak in and party and get drunk in there and trashed the place. There is a pool there as well you never mentioned seeing that but if you want some pictures and videos I do have some. Underneath all the ruble the basement of the house still stands but is very unstable and is hard to get in.

I went down there with a few mates about a year ago, there was a large water tank and a boiler, some bits of rubbish but looked burnt, had to remove pallets and bricks to get into it

 

[Hayman]

Notice how manufacturers put their names on their products at one time - even on things as mundane and made in thousands as bricks. All parts of our industrial history. I don't see any names or initials on today's flettons. I see the word 'fletton' comes from the area of the same name in Peterborough, where brick-making was a major business.

 

[Dave Preston]

Notice how manufacturers put their names on their products at one time - even on things as mundane and made in thousands as bricks. All parts of our industrial history. I don't see any names or initials on today's flettons. I see the word 'fletton' comes from the area of the same name in Peterborough, where brick-making was a major business.

Sorry to digress from the thread, but I've never heard the term 'Fletton'. Is that in common use in Peterborough, like a hod carrier would be asked to bring the builder a batch of Flettons?

I've never heard that before, quite interesting.

 

[Hayman]

Sorry to digress from the thread, but I've never heard the term 'Fletton'. Is that in common use in Peterborough, like a hod carrier would be asked to bring the builder a batch of Flettons?

I've never heard that before, quite interesting.

'Fletton' is the name used for the everyday brick. This from the London Brick
Company website:

"This original London Brick - sometimes known as a fletton - has been used for over 130 years and is a tried and tested brick. It does not have a decorative face like many bricks, but can still be used as a facing brick if required. Main uses are more functional: below DPC [damp proof course level], non visible walls, garden use, outbuildings etc."

The most obvious feature of a fletton is the hollow in one face that is filled with mortar to form a strong bond with the next course. The hollow is called the 'frog' because its four corners taper like a frog's legs; widening from the corners down towards the deeper centre.

And, yes, a hod carrier anywhere might well be asked for 'a batch of flettons'.

What are often called 'London stocks' (as seen in the walls of many Victorian
houses in London) are a type of fletton. They tend to be yellowish, from the colour of the clay used to make them.

I suppose the use of the word fletton can be compared to 'cheddar' in cheese making; each being the name of where the product was originally made.