S is for South Stoneham House

On the east corner of Wessex Lane and Woodmill Lane in Swaythling, Southampton, stands a 300-year-old former manor house which has been unoccupied for several years. South Stoneham House wasn’t always so lonely: the Grade II* listed building has accommodated families, Barons and Baronesses, University College Southampton students, a School of Navigation, and has briefly offered shelter to people displaced by the Second World War. It has seen the construction and subsequent demolition of an extension in the form of a tower block, built in response to the rising student numbers when the College became a University. Its gardens were landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown.

South Stoneham House [MS310/57/A4008/2/1]

A view of the gardens [Peter Cook postcard collection, no. 2674]

The exact origins of South Stoneham House are uncertain, but researchers tend to agree that it was commissioned by a member of the local Dummer family and built by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor in the early 18^th century. Previous owners include the Sloane and Willis-Fleming families, but the visual history of the House comes alive with the era of ownership of Samuel Montagu (First Baron Swaythling, 1832-1911), who owned and lived at South Stoneham House from 1888 until his death. His eldest son Louis and his wife Gladys Helen Rachel Montagu (née Goldsmid) lived at the nearby Townhill Park House.

Lord and Lady Swaythling at a garden party at South Stoneham House, celebrating the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, June 28th, 1911 (photograph by W. M. Phillips) [MS383/A4000/6/1/8]

When Samuel Montagu died, the second Baron Swaythling and Lady Swaythling chose to stay at Townhill Park House, and eventually sold South Stoneham House to University College, Southampton in 1920. At the time, College regulations stated that, “all full-time day students must reside in a college hostel unless they are living with their parents or a guardian or unless otherwise permitted or directed by the principal”, and as student numbers increased, so did the need for suitable accommodation. The status of the House as a hostel for male students began on October 3^rd, 1921, originally with 17 students, soon to be joined by 50 ex-servicemen.

Roll call of first members, donated to the Library in 1969 by one of their number, Charles Freeman. He wrote, “I believe the handwritten first page of the SSH Roll Book was saved from destruction by me when the Roll Book ceased its quite short life. I think I passed the page on to Professor Cock and there is no doubt that he had it framed and hung on one of its walls.” [MS1/2/3/8/1]

The first warden of South Stoneham House, in his room [MS1/2/5/17/245]

The Professor to which Charles Freeman refers was the first warden of the hostel, Albert Cock. His tenure as warden lasted from 1921-1939, and although by modern standards his rules appear to be strict, with early rising bells, periods of silence and the insistence of gowns worn at the dinner table, he frequently referred to the students as a “family” and a “brotherhood” in his contributions to the House’s own magazine.

Professor Cock’s rules for the House, 1934 [MS1/4/76/38]

The South Stoneham House Magazine was a short-lived publication by the original members of the House with the intention of establishing a sense of collegiality and kinship. It contains articles written by the residents, and many humorous reflections of life in South Stoneham House and the habits of the occupants. Mentions of sports days, billiards, debates, soirées, dances, whist drives and concerts show that despite Professor Cock’s rules, South Stoneham House was a lively and vibrant place to live!

A tongue-in-cheek summary of the fire rules from the South Stoneham House Magazine, v.1, no.3, Summer term 1922 [Univ. Coll. LF 785.2S6]

In 1939, South Stoneham House was taken over by University College Southampton’s School of Navigation, whose number of cadets had increased beyond its capacity for accommodation. The arrangement was originally intended to be for a period of no more than three years, but, probably due to changing circumstances arising from the Second World War, the School occupied the House until 1946, when it moved to a new home in Warsash. During this time, South Stoneham House gave temporary shelter to French officers after the evacuation of Dunkirk, thirteen homeless people for a few nights, and twenty-three members of Buckinghamshire County Constabulary, who had been drafted into the area.

South Stoneham House suffered air-raid damage in the War, but never enough to render it uninhabitable. The worst that happened seems to have been a “certain amount of damage to the front of the house, due to a bomb that fell in the salmon pool.” [Proceedings of the College, 1940-41].

After the School of Navigation had moved out, South Stoneham House returned to its pre-war life as a Halls of Residence for male students. 73 men were accommodated in the first post-war session; 32 of them were returning from National Service. The College Proceedings for 1946-47 reports that the ex-servicemen in particular helped to foster an atmosphere of serious study; nevertheless it seems that much fun was still to be had. Alterations to the rooms had allowed for a Music Room and an Indoor Games Room, and a “marked keenness has been shown in inter-Hall activities, whilst a particularly successful soirée was held in March”.

In 1952, University College Southampton became a University, after a royal charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth II. The new University of Southampton attracted greater numbers of applicants, and in the late 1950s it became clear that new accommodation blocks must be provided. The tower-block extension of South Stoneham House was designed in the Brutalist style, popular and practical at the time but perhaps not very pleasing to modern eyes. A warden’s house and junior common room were also built as part of the complex, and attached to South Stoneham House with a lightweight steel structure.

Foundations of the tower [MS1/phot/22/6/5/35]

The tower under construction, next to South Stoneham House [MS1/phot/22/6/5/55]

The completed South Stoneham Tower [MS1/phot/22/6/5/79]

Students began occupying the tower from 1962, and there was a full complement by October 1963. The rooms were quite basic, but the views from the top were magnificent!

A study-bedroom in South Stoneham Tower (photograph by Colin Westwood) [MS1/phot/22/6/7/44]

The view from inside the tower (photograph by Colin Westwood) [MS1/phot/22/6/7/24]

By 2005, the whole site was starting to look decidedly shabby, and structural issues eventually forced the closure of both the House and the tower block, with the last inhabitants moving out in 2009. The tower in particular didn’t meet the required basic standards for suitable accommodation; the rooms were small and couldn’t be expanded, it wasn’t energy-efficient, and it was starting to become an eyesore. For the last ten years of its existence it was swathed in scaffolding and sheeting, while practical, architectural, environmental and conservational considerations were discussed with regard to refurbishment or demolition. It was finally decided to demolish the tower, and this took place in early 2022, leaving the House on its own once more.

A hundred years ago, Professor Albert Cock wrote in the South Stoneham House Magazine that he hoped that the House motto of strenuis ardua cedunt, “love glows within”, would continue to apply for always. Sadly, the House currently lies empty. It’s to be hoped that one day it can be restored to its former state of comfort, and that many more happy memories will be created there.

Extract from the South Stoneham House Magazine, v.1, no.2, Spring term 1922 [Univ. Coll. LF 785.2S6]

These links to our online catalogue, Epexio, give information on our holdings for Samuel Montagu (the first Baron Swaythling), Gladys Helen Rachel Montagu (Lady Swaythling) and Albert Cock.

For more information on Capability Brown, see this Special Collections blog post from 2016: Happy birthday to “Capability” Brown.