The History of Stoke Park
Courtesy of the Glenside Museum
With additions
www.glensidemuseum.org.uk
The Dower House was built in 1553 by Sir Richard Berkeley.
Dowager - A widow possessing property or a title obtained from her husband.
From 1738, under the ownership of Norborne Berkeley, The last of the Stoke Gifford Berkeleys, the house and garden were developed under Thomas Wright. The motto on Stoke Park House, still visible today "Mihi Vobisque" -Mine and Yours;. The only relics of the Tudor and 17th century arrangements are the tremendous artificial platform at the southward end of a commanding hill ridge on which the house stands and the Jacobean balustrade running round that foundation platform on two poles. The present house with a battlemented skyline and castellated appearance, belying its classical interiors, is in plan an 'H' with three sided bows at each end of the two upright limbs of the H. The north porch is early 19th century Gothic, otherwise the house is all of the 1760's with a few decorative details of the 'Adam' period after 1770. The central staircase is of some merit and may be from a period about 1740, and hence a survival from the earlier house. One room downstairs has a definitely early 18th century fireplace and also some 'Adam' bookcases. Another building of note is the orangery (now the Chapel) a charming little building which is presumably of Norborne Berkeley's time. It has a central pediment and four Corinthian pilasters.
On
the death of Norborne in 1770 the estate passed to his sister the
Dowager Duchess of Beaufort, who maintained it until her death in 1799.
It then declined. The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort took up their
permanent residence at Stoke Park in early April 1896, having
relinquished Badminton to their son, the Marquis of Worcester. The 8th
Duke died there 1899, and his wife in 1906. The house was then rented
to the Honourable Cyril Ward for 1 year, rent free. It was rented to
the Reverend Burden on the 15 July 1908 for 21 yrs. at a rent £150
pa. After carrying out missionary work in the backwoods of
Canada the Rev. Burden temporarily settled in Bristol where
he was offered and accepted the Chaplaincy of Horfield Prison. Both he
and his wife became interested in their social work in the lack of care
and training for backward children and following a visit to Germany to
see the problems in that country, were inspired to start the Colony
System in England.
Stoke Park was purchased and the first cases were received in 1909 boys being accommodated in Ivy Lodge (a converted stables) and the girls in the old Manor House, known as the Dower House, the orangery being adapted for use as a small chapel. The conversion plans of the house were prepared and the work of Mr. & Mrs. Burden was so successful that further accommodation had to be found. A large hospital block at Stoke Park in 1913, Beech House, The Towers and Heath House, all in Stapleton followed.
|
|
|
These formed the nucleus of what is now known as Purdown
Hospital. The first Mrs. Burden died in 1919 and there is no doubt that
it was largely due to her interest and energies that so much
accommodation was provided for the care and training of mental
defectives in this country. Later Mr. Burden married Miss Williams the
Superintendent of Stoke Park who after her husband's death in 1930 ably
carried on his work at Stoke Park.
About 1936 a building for the surgical treatment of defectives was
erected. The idea had to be abandoned and this new building eventually
became the Burden Neurological Institute. This institute is one of the
foremost of its kind in the country. It was opened in 1939 with its own
Management Committee quite separate from that of Stoke Park.
The first patients were said to have arrived on the 1st of
April 1909. The first admissions were on the 22nd of Apr
1909; and was averaging 300 by end of 1910. In 1909 a report states: On
this large estate of about 100 acres these are separate establishments
for boys and girls, Stoke House, which has accommodation for 90 Girls,
and Ivy Lodge, for 60 Boys. There is a large staff of trained nurses,
attendants, and 3 certificated teachers, a medical officer attends
daily, and the whole establishment promises to be one of the most
carefully arranged and equipped of the kind in the country.
A 1910 report says: Two new blocks of buildings have been completed
with accommodation therefore for 275 additional cases, [bringing total
to 425.] These new blocks were well built, carefully designed for
convenience in working, ... and economical, having been provided at a
cost of about £80 per bed. No great changes have been made in the Dower
House or Ivy Lodge. All parts of the Institution were inspected, and
found to be in good hygienic state, comfortably warm and clean. The
staff is a large one, specially trained for its work, and consists of a
Controller, four Matrons, three Certificated Teachers, with other
Nurses and Attendants, numbering 48 in all. The Medical Officer is
non-resident, but visits daily. Stoke Park is designed for the
reception and control of feeble-minded children. Here, as in other
similar schools, every effort is made to educate such children as are
educable, and afterwards train them in some domestic or industrial
occupation which will fit them to take some small place in the
community. When children are found too defective for either school
training or industrial training to be of much benefit, Stoke Park
provides facilities for permanent care and control under most humane
conditions. The Institution is meant for educable and uneducable, it
being considered as necessary for the latter to be cared for as the
former. For the benefit of the educable, the school arrangements are
excellent, and the teaching staff capable. For the benefit of all, the
teaching in laundry, kitchen, sewing room and in matters connected with
ordinary house work, is all that can be desired.
|
|
Stoke Park is one of several institutions that have been acquired and are being conducted by the ;National Institutions for Persons requiring Care and Control;. This establishment and others under the same association are managed from a London Central Office, by the Rev H N Burden, and others working with him. These persons are assisted by Visiting Committees for each separate undertaking, the members of which visit by rota and leave records of their visits. The visiting committee of Stoke Park consists of 16 local members, all resident within 1½ miles of the institution. Stoke Park now consists of about 180 acres of well wooded park and garden land, together with certain buildings that have been erected there-on. These buildings comprise: (1) Dower House - an old family mansion acquired with the estate. This building up to the present has been un use for inmates, but is now empty to enable extensive alteration to be made to the structure. Provision for exit in cases of fire from some parts of the building was hardly sufficient for permanent use, and some rearrangements of rooms was found to be necessary for effective working. (2) St Catherine Blocks North & South - a recently constructed section consisting of 2 three storey buildings of red brick, connected with each other by a well equipped administrative block containing kitchen, dining room, store and ablution rooms. The whole contains accommodation for 275 female patients, allowing 600 cubic feet per bed; is of modern design, efficiently ventilated, steam heated and well lighted. (3) Ivy Lodge - a convenient and comfortable detached block, has been cleverly constructed out of stables originally belonging to the property, and contains accommodation for 90 male patents with 600 cubic feet per bed. (4) The Hospital - equipped with 55 beds; is now being extended, and will in course of time provide space for a further 100 beds. This is an excellent part of the institutions, well adapted to its purposes. It possesses, in addition to ordinary wards, an extensive open air veranda overlooking the park. Five double-bedded revolving shelters are also attached to the hospital for summer use. Taken as a whole the hospital contains the best accommodation for its purposes that has been seen for some time, and is equipped up to a modern standard in all respects. (5) A detached Chapel - with a large room adjoining which can be connected for chapel use (and so facilitate the separation of the sexes) or be disconnected for school, recreation, or amusement purposes. (6) Good Workrooms - filled with looms, rug making frames and other facilities for industry (7) a Laundry - ... good enough for immediate use ... is to be replaced shortly by a newly constructed modern substitute ....
Whilst every reasonable economy is practised by careful and efficient administration, expenditure has been liberal in all matters that affect the upkeep of the buildings and the comfort and well-being of the inmates.
Staff: 59 Controller Capt Knowles, visiting medical officer Dr Ambrose, Visiting chaplain the Vicar of Stapleton, 4 matrons, 6 fully trained hospital nurses, 2 kitchen mistresses with 2 assistants, 1 laundry mistress with 2 assistants, 4 charge attendants, 2 trades instructors, 6 nurse attendant teachers, 20 ordinary nurse attendants, 1 engineer, 1 head gardener with 2 assistant gardeners, 2 stokers and 1 labourer.
In his will of 1939: R G Burden directed trustees to permit the trustees of the Institute to have the loan of Clevedon Hall and its grounds for so long as the war may continue and for a reasonable period thereafter.
With death of Burden in 1939 the property was sold.
Western Daily press of 13 May 1939 reports on the opening of Burden Neurological Inst by Sir Thos Inskip, sec state for the Dominions
In 1948 it was taken over by Stoke Park Group Hospital Management Committee
It was transferred to the various NHS trusts and in Jan 1985 the patients were removed, it was closed and sold,
It is has now been transformed into housing.
The entrance to the Dower House