Highcombe House
| Highcombe House | |
|---|---|
 Highcombe House, Charlton, London | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | House, former residence, presbytery, community centre |
| Architectural style | Regency |
| Location | 145 Charlton Road, Charlton, London, SE7 7EZ |
| Coordinates | 51°28′48″N 0°01′38″E / 51.47991°N 0.02735°E |
| Completed | c. 1825 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Designations | Grade II listed building Heritage at Risk Register (2025) |
Highcombe House (historically spelled as "High Combe") is a Grade II listed[1] Regency villa located at 145 Charlton Road in Charlton, London, built around 1825. The building was added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register in 2025 due to concerns about its condition and future.[2] It stands as one of only two surviving structures (the other is Woodlands House) from the historic Westcombe and Eastcombe estates that once stood between Greenwich and Charlton Village. Adjacent to Our Lady of Grace Church, Highcombe House is now used as a presbytery and community centre.
Heritage at Risk status
[edit]In 2025, Historic England placed Highcombe House on its Heritage at Risk Register, identifying the building as being at risk due to concerns about its maintenance, structural condition, and uncertain future. The Heritage at Risk designation recognises the building's significant architectural and historical importance whilst highlighting the urgent need for conservation action to secure its long-term preservation. The adjacent buildings and gardens behind the house are also included in this assessment as part of the wider heritage complex.[3]
History of the Eastcombe estate
[edit]The land on which Highcombe House stands was originally part of the broader Nethercombe/Eastcombe area. In 918 CE, Princess Aelfrida gifted this land to the Abbey of Ghent.[4] The term "coombe" derives from the Old English "cumb," meaning a valley or hollow, reflecting the natural landscape that created Westcombe, Middlecombe and Eastcombe.
The location remained a religious owned farming area until 1537, when Henry VIII confiscated Nethercombe/Eastcombe and annexed it to the Manor of Old Court during the dissolution of the monasteries.[4] The first manor house to be built along Charlton Road in 1710, by Captain William Saunderson known as "Clockhouse" (later renamed East Combe) in the vicinity of what is now Our Lady of Grace Church, London.
By the early 19th century, the original Eastcombe estate was divided and sold off. Around 1810, David Hunter converted the original Clockhouse into stables and offices and built another fine mansion nearby. In 1819, Eleanor Agnes, Dowager Countess of Buckinghamshire, purchased the Eastcombe estate and made it her residence until her death in 1851.[5]
Highcombe House in context: the three houses of the Eastcombe estate
[edit]
Highcombe House was one of three substantial houses that once formed part of the historic Eastcombe Estate, as shown in the Ordnance Survey map from 1893.[6] The other two significant residences were:
Clockhouse (later East Combe House 1), 1710–1810
[edit]
Built in 1710 by Captain William Saunderson, a distinguished naval officer who commanded the HM Yacht William and Mary, which transported King William III and Mary II to Holland. Saunderson was knighted by George I in 1714.[8]
Notable occupants included Lieutenant General Sir William Congreve, 1st Baronet (1780–1783 and c.1795–1805), who founded the gunpowder factory at Waltham Abbey, and John Hooke Campbell (1782–1795), Lord Lyon King of Arms, Scotland.[9]
East Combe House 2, 1810–1904
[edit]
Designed by George Tappen and built around 1810 for David Hunter, who converted the original Clockhouse into stables and offices, this new villa was located about 200 yards north-northwest from the old house.[9]
Its most prestigious occupant was Eleanor Agnes, Countess of Buckinghamshire (1816–1851), widow of Robert Hobart, Colonial Secretary and namesake of Hobart, Tasmania.[5]
Highcombe House
[edit]Built around 1825 in the fashionable Regency style, Highcombe House is now the one surviving structure in the historic Eastcombe Estate. Its construction likely coincided with the residency of Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet.
Notable residents
[edit]Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet (c.1826–1828)
[edit]Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet (1772–1828) likely commissioned Highcombe House and was its first resident. He succeeded his father as head of the Laboratory at Woolwich and invented the Congreve rocket used at the Battle of Leipzig. He also served as an MP for Plymouth and was a friend of King George IV. The Congreve rocket inspired the phrase "the rockets' red glare" in "The Star-Spangled Banner".[10]
Sir George Whitmore (c.1851–1862)
[edit]General Sir George Whitmore (1775–1862), Commandant of the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, occupied Highcombe House from 1851 until his death in 1862.
William Henry Barlow (c.1865–1902)
[edit]William Henry Barlow (1812–1902) was an engineer who designed St. Pancras Station and the second Tay Bridge.
Artwork associated with property
[edit]Among the family possessions at Highcombe House was a portrait of the Restoration dramatist William Congreve (1670–1729), visible above the fireplace in Philip Reinagle's portrait of Mrs Congreve with her children (1782) painted in Clockhouse. The collection also included a portrait of Captain William Congreve with his son,[11] and portraits of Thomas Congreve (1714–1777) and his wife (née Anna Catherine Handasyde).[12] All three paintings are visible on the rear wall in the portrait of Mrs Congreve and her children. This painting reveals how the fashionable Georgian home was decorated with floral carpet, girandole mirrors and mantelpiece ornaments.
Religious use and educational legacy (1902–present)
[edit]
In 1903, Highcombe House was purchased by Mother Julie Franck and her sister Mother Miriam Franck for the Sisters of the Assumption. The Franck sisters, who were of Jewish origin and later converted to Catholicism, were instrumental in establishing the Catholic community in Charlton.[13] Mass was first celebrated in the house on 18 July 1903 by Fr Benedict Caron, A.A.[14]
In 1928, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Primary School was founded, which continues today.[15] The Sisters of the Assumption operated the parish and school until 1972, when the Augustinians of the Assumption took over until 1989.[14]
Between 1925 and 1927, the church and grounds were further enhanced with the construction of the community hall, coinciding with the purchase of Woodlands House for use as a convent, expanding the religious community's presence in the area.[14] Woodlands House, a Grade II* property built by John Julius Angerstein, is one of the two surviving Georgian properties from the original grand houses of the area documented in the John Charnock survey. In 1938 Littlecombe was purchased to extend the school further, this building was previously the residence of Charlotte Maryon Wilson from 1876 to 1895.
Highcombe House is now used as a presbytery and community centre. The building is designated as Grade II listed by Historic England, recognising its architectural and historical significance as the "Presbytery to East of Church of Our Lady of Grace".[16]
Architecture
[edit]Exterior
[edit]Highcombe House exemplifies Regency architecture with its distinctive white-painted stucco exterior. The building features:
- A symmetrical façade with an elegant curved design
- Four stories including basement and attic levels
- Pairs of rounded bay windows creating a double-bowed appearance
- A central entrance with original double doors and fanlight
- A slate roof set behind a decorative parapet
Interior
[edit]The interior retains several period features, including ornate ceiling roses, decorative cornices, and marble fireplaces
Cultural, environmental and historical context
[edit]
The property's evolution mirrors the wider transformation of Charlton from rural retreat to suburban district. By the turn of the 20th century, the entire "Eastcombe estate was developed by various house builders,"[17] with Highcombe House and Woodlands House standing as the two remaining examples of the earlier grand residences.
Woodlands House and Highcombe House have justified heritage listing individually. Together they also share further significance, as the two surviving prestigious residences from the farmland area between Greenwich and Charlton made up of the historic Westcombe, Middlecombe and Eastcombe estates. These are the last remaining buildings from the nine grand properties originally drawn by John Charnock in his architectural survey of the area in the late 18th century.[7]
External links
[edit]- Our Lady of Grace Church official website
- Our Lady of Grace Catholic Primary School
- Historic England Heritage at Risk Register
References
[edit]- ^ Historic England. "Presbytery to East of Church of Our Lady of Grace (1079067)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ "Heritage at Risk Register 2025". Historic England. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Heritage at Risk Register 2025". Historic England. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ a b Smith, p. 77.
- ^ a b Smith, p. 89.
- ^ National Library of Scotland (1895), "Ordnance Survey Town Plan of London (1893-1895), Sheet VII.95"
- ^ a b "Charnock's Views. Volume III. Architecture. Lewisham, Wricklemarsh, Greenwich, Charlton, Eltham". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ^ Smith, p. 83.
- ^ a b Smith, p. 88.
- ^ Bone, Peter (28 August 2013). "Charlton history: The story of High Combe". Charlton Champion. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ National Gallery of Ireland (2025), "Portrait of Captain William Congreve with his Son William"
- ^ National Gallery of Ireland (2025), these portraits all visible in the "Portrait of Mrs Congreve with her Children"
- ^ Karydis, Nikolaos and Harrington, Cassandra. Our Lady of Grace, Charlton: Heritage Statement. Our Lady of Grace Parish Buildings Preservation Trust, 24 July 2025, pp. 3-4.
- ^ a b c Taking Stock: Catholic Churches of England and Wales - Our Lady of Grace, Charlton (2023)
- ^ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Primary School, Official website (2025)
- ^ Historic England. "Presbytery to East of Church of Our Lady of Grace (1079067)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ Smith, p. 93.
- Smith, John G. (1970). History of Charlton. London: Greenwich Borough Council.