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Question
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Is there a decent chronological account of the houses which have graced the Fonthill Estate?
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Question asked on
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04 July 2011
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Answer
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I gave a chronology of houses in an article I wrote on Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire Life for September 2005. Briefly;
A Fonthill House that existed in the 16th century was damaged by fire in the 1620s and restored in 1637
!755 - this house burned down when in the ownership of Alderman Beckford of London
1760-90 Fonthill House was rebuilt by Alderman Beckford and his son, William
1790s William Beckford began to build Fonthill Abbey - mostly complete by 1797 - some materials diverted from Fonthill House
1807 main part of Fonthill House demolished
1845 Fonthill Abbey mostly demolished by this date
1856-9 Another Fonthill Abbey built by Marquess of Westminster - demolished in 1955
19th century - Fonthill House extended
1921 - most of Fonthill House demolished when owned by Morrison family; name transferred to Little Ridge (replaced by another Fonthill House in 1972)
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Bibliography
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Beckford’s Fonthill: the rise of a romantic icon, by Richard J. Gemmett, Michael Russell, 2003, 0 85955 284 5
Portrait of a Merchant Prince: James Morrison 1789 – 1851, by Richard Gatby, Peter Arden, 1976, limited edition of 250 copies. Chapter 11 is on Fonthill and the Pavilion.
