Shaw House, Berkshire facts for kids
Shaw House is a very old and important house in Shaw, near Newbury in Berkshire. It was built a long time ago, during the Elizabethan period, and is known for its special H-shape design.
History of Shaw House
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Shaw House was built by a rich cloth merchant named Thomas Dolman. He finished building it in 1581. The house is famous for a story that King Charles I used it as his base during the Second Battle of Newbury. However, new research shows that the King was never actually inside the house, even though the fighting happened all around it.
Other important people did visit Shaw House, including Queen Elizabeth I. In the 1720s, a very fancy person named James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos bought the house. Even though it wasn't his main home, his family spent time there. His son, the second Duke, married a woman from Newbury.
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After the first Duke died in 1744, his wife lived at Shaw House until she passed away in 1750. Her stepson then sold the house to the Andrews family. It was the childhood home of a historian named James Pettit Andrews. For many years, Shaw House was also used as a school.
Today, West Berkshire Council owns and manages Shaw House. It is used for events and is open to the public.
Restoring Shaw House
Shaw House went through a big restoration project and reopened to the public in 2008. It is now a place for conferences and also home to West Berkshire's Registration Service, where people register births, deaths, and ceremonies.
The restoration work started in 2005. The house received over £4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. English Heritage and Vodafone also helped pay for the project, which cost £6 million in total.
Visitors can now enjoy many events and activities at Shaw House. They can explore the house, see exhibitions, and visit a special family corner. The house is open most weekends and during some school holidays.
