Southwick House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southwick House |
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Southwick House showing the colonnade
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Georgian style |
| Town or city | Hampshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°52′29″N 1°06′07″W / 50.8748°N 1.1019°W |
| Completed | 1800 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name | HMS Dryad (Southwick House) |
| Designated | 24 September 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1096247 |
Southwick House is a large, historic home in Hampshire, England. It was built in the 1800s and is located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Portsmouth. Today, it is home to the Defence School of Policing and Guarding, which trains military police. This house is very special because of its important role during World War II.
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History of Southwick House
Building a New Home
Southwick House was built in the year 1800. It was designed in a style called Georgian, which was popular at the time. This new house replaced an older one called Southwick Park house.
The house has three floors. Inside, it has a unique entrance hall that goes up two floors and is lit by a dome-shaped roof called a cupola. It also has several rooms shaped like ovals. Outside, there is a curved entrance with many columns.
Southwick House in World War II
Southwick House became very important during World War II. In 1940, the owners of the estate allowed the Royal Navy to use the house. It became a place for students from the Royal Navy School of Navigation, known as HMS Dryad, to stay overnight. This school was usually based in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
In 1941, the dockyard was heavily bombed. Because of this, Southwick House was officially taken over by the military and became the new main home for HMS Dryad.
Planning D-Day at Southwick House
In 1943, plans for the D-Day invasion were already being made. Southwick House was chosen to be the main command center for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. This was a very important decision. Because of this, HMS Dryad had to move out of the house and onto other land nearby.
In 1944, in the months leading up to D-Day, Southwick House became the headquarters for the top Allied commanders. These included General Eisenhower, who was the Supreme Commander, Admiral Ramsay, the Naval Commander, and General Montgomery, the Army Commander.
The large maps that were used on D-Day are still in the house today. You can see them in the main map room.
After World War II
In 2004, the training activities of HMS Dryad were moved to HMS Collingwood in Fareham. After this, the site went back to being called Southwick Park.
Since 2005, Southwick House has been home to the Defence School of Policing and Guarding. This school trains military police for all three branches of the armed forces.
Historic Listings
In 1987, Southwick House was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is a building of special historical or architectural interest.
The next year, a separate clock tower on the estate was also listed as Grade II. This clock tower has three sections and a slate roof, built in an Italianate style.
