Danson House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Danson House |
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The north face of Danson House, Bexley
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| Type | Mansion |
| Location | Welling |
| OS grid reference | TQ 47273 75179 |
| Area | London Borough of Bexley |
| Built | 1768 |
| Architect | Robert Taylor |
| Architectural style(s) | Palladian |
| Owner | English Heritage |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Danson Park Mansion | |
| Designated | 1 October 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1064225 |
| Official name: Danson Park | |
| Designated | 1 October 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1000211 |
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Danson House is a grand old mansion located in the heart of Danson Park in Welling, South East London. It's a special kind of building called a Palladian mansion, which means it was designed to look like ancient Roman temples. Because it's so important, it's listed as a Grade I listed building, meaning it's a building of exceptional interest.
Contents
History of Danson House
Early Days of Danson Estates
The land where Danson House stands has a very long history. The first records of the "Danson Estates" go all the way back to 1284! At that time, it was just land owned by the Archbishop. Later, Henry VIII, a famous king, owned the land. It stayed part of the royal family's property until King James I sold it to make money for the crown.
In 1622, a man named William Camden bought the land. He gave it to Oxford University to help pay for a history professor. After that, in 1695, the land was sold to private owners for the first time.
John Styleman and John Selwyn
In 1699, a wealthy businessman named John Styleman moved to Danson. He was a director of the British East India Company. He started to make the estate into a fancy country home. After his wife passed away in 1717, he left Danson.
In 1723, Styleman leased the property to John Selwyn, who was a Member of Parliament and worked for the royal family. Selwyn made the estate much bigger and better. By the time he died in 1751, the estate had a mansion with many rooms, an icehouse, and even a Chinese-style house!
Sir John Boyd Builds a New House
After John Styleman died, part of the money from the estate went to a charity that helped poor families. In 1753, Sir John Boyd took over the lease. He was a rich sugar merchant and also worked for the British East India Company. By 1759, Boyd owned most of the land.
To own the entire estate, Boyd had to make a special deal with the charity. This deal even needed a special law passed by Parliament in 1762! Once he owned everything, Sir John Boyd could start his big plans.
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Sir Robert Taylor, a famous architect who also designed parts of the Bank of England, designed the new Danson House. It was originally called Danson Hill. Building started in 1763, and Boyd moved in around 1768. When he died in 1800, the house was surrounded by over 600 acres of beautiful gardens and farmland. Today, over 200 acres of this land is Danson Park, one of the biggest public parks in the area.
Inside the house, famous artists like Richard Wilson created paintings and murals. The gardens were designed by either Capability Brown or his assistant. A large, pretty lake was created south of the house. There was also a small house with a spire called Chapel House, which you can still see today.
From Private Home to Public Park
After Sir John Boyd died in 1800, his son sold the estate in 1807 to John Johnston, a retired army captain. Later, in 1829, it passed to Johnston's son, Hugh. Hugh's daughter, Sarah, painted detailed pictures of the house's inside in the 1860s. These paintings were very helpful much later when the house was being fixed up!
In 1862, Hugh Johnston sold Danson to Alfred Bean, a railway engineer. Bean wanted to turn the huge estate into a residential area with homes. Parts of the land were sold for houses, but the main house and 224 acres stayed with Bean's family until his widow died in 1921.
In 1924, the local council bought the house and land for £16,000. The park was opened to the public in 1925 by Princess Mary. During World War Two, the house was used for civil defense. Over the years, the park added football pitches, tennis courts, a bowling green, and a swimming pool. Today, the park is used by many people for fun activities.
Restoration and Present Day
By 1995, Danson House was in very bad shape. It had been empty since 1923. English Heritage, a group that looks after historic places, took over. They said it was "the most significant building at risk in London."
It took ten years and £4.5 million to carefully restore the house! A local charity, Bexley Heritage Trust, helped furnish the inside. The Queen herself reopened the house in 2005. The park grounds were also restored.
In 2016, the local council stopped funding the charity, so the house is now managed directly by the council. Danson House is now used as the register office for Bexley Borough, where people can register births, deaths, and marriages.
English Heritage still owns the house on a very long lease. It is open to the public on certain days. The old stable building on the estate is now a public house called the Danson Stables. Danson House was even used as a filming location for the TV show Taboo in 2017, starring Tom Hardy!
