Warneford Place, also known as Sevenhampton Place, is a Grade II listed country house in Sevenhampton, south of Highworth, in Wiltshire, England.
| Sevenhampton Place | |
|---|---|
Warneford Place | |
 Warneford Place, around 1963 | |
  Location within Wiltshire | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Sevenhampton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°36′44″N 1°42′04″W / 51.61217°N 1.70108°W |
| Completed | 17th century |
| Renovated | 1963 |
| Owner | Patrick McNally |
The main house is modern but is listed because it incorporates some features from the original 18th-century mansion.[1] Warneford Place dates back to at least the 16th century during the reign of Elizabeth I,[2] and was home to the Warneford family.[3] That family, although often impoverished, had been established in the area since around the 12th century and owned much of its land. The house was often empty and neglected.[4][5] In 1902, there was an auction of the Warneford Place Estate and its contents.[6] The house has been Grade II listed (as Warneford Place) since 1979.[1] It was home to the politician and animal rights activist Lord Banbury, who died there in 1936.[7]
In 1960, the James Bond author Ian Fleming bought the "demolished Warneford Place", and built a new house which he named Sevenhampton Place, incorporating some elements of the original building.[8][9] He did not move in until the new house was completed in 1963 and spent little time there. He died in 1964, aged 56, and is buried in the Sevenhampton churchyard, along with his wife Ann and son Caspar.[8][9] His widow Ann Fleming lived at Sevenhampton Place until she died there on 12 July 1981.[10]
In 1987, the house was bought by the Formula One businessman Patrick McNally for £7 million.[11] In 2004, the house was robbed by The Johnson Gang, a group of notorious gypsy criminals,[12] who stole items to the value of £750,000.[8][13]
References
edit- ^ a b Historic England. "Warnford Place (1023373)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Ian Fleming buried in Wiltshire". BBC – Wiltshire. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Warneford, Samuel Wilson (1763–1855)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28752. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Priest, W. M. (1969). "The Rev. Samuel Warneford, M.A., LL.D. (1763-1855)". British Medical Journal. 3 (5670): 587–590. doi:10.1136/bmj.3.5670.587. PMC 1984343. PMID 4897076.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Obituary: Lord Banbury - A Parliamentary "Character"". The Times. 1936. p. 14.
- ^ a b c "Daring raid on tycoon's home". This Is Wiltshire. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Celebrating the life of the man from 00-Sevenhampton". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Fleming [née Charteris], Ann Geraldine Mary [other married namesAnn Geraldine Mary O'Neill, Lady O'Neill; Ann Geraldine Mary Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere] (1913–1981), society hostess | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography".
- ^ "Warneford Place (Warnford Place) (Sevenhampton Place)". DiCamillo. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ de Bruxelles, Simon. "Notorious Johnson family members jailed for UK's biggest heist". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Gipsy gang jailed for Britain's biggest robbery". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2023.