The Gregg School, Southampton

Townhill Park House is the former home of Lord and Lady Swaythling. The building dates from around 1790 and was extended and re-designed by the architect L. Rome Guthrie in an Italian-style in 1911; Guthrie also designed the terraced gardens to complement the style of the house, with planting plans produced by the noted plantswoman, Miss Gertrude Jekyll.

Guthrie returned to Townhill Park House after the First World War to add a music room, panelled in polished walnut, and a boudoir for Lady Swaythling.

Guthrie also designed a garden at the rear of the house that the new boudoir overlooked and this became known as the Boudoir Garden. Queen Mary, a close friend of Lady Swaythling’s, visited Townhill Park House on a number of occasions, regularly enjoying a walk through the gardens. The house was handed over to the Red Cross in 1939 and was used as an impressive convalescent home for British and American soldiers during the Second World War. Middlesex County Council owned the house from 1948 until 1969, when it was used as an education centre for underprivileged children with learning difficulties. Between 1969 and 1984, Townhill Park House was used for training marine cadets. The Main Hall seats up to 120 people for a formal meal or, if not formally seated, up to 200 people.

Please contact us direct on 023 8043 9280 or email reception@wisecatering.co.uk for further details.