Thorpe Hall (Thorpe-le-Soken)
Thorpe Hall was a manor house built in the Georgian style at Thorpe-le-Soken in Essex, England.
History
The Thorpe Manor estate belonged to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.[1] In 1723 it was bought by Stephen Martin who assumed the name and arms of Leake upon inheriting an estate from Admiral Sir John Leake; it remained in the Leake family – the most recent manor house was built between 1822 and 1825 for John Martin Leake – until 1913 when it was bought by Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy whose wife, Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy, laid out the gardens.[1] Viscount Byng died at Thorpe Hall in 1935.[2]
It was acquired by the Ministry of Defence at the start of World War II and then became the Lady Nelson Convalescent Home for employees of English Electric in 1951.[1]
It was sold to the Ryan Group in 1988 and to Tangram Leisure in 2000.[1] Tangram Leisure demolished the manor and replaced it with a residential spa which was completed in December 2010.[3] Tangram Leisure went into administration in 2012.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d "Thorpe Hall (Thorpe-le-Soken)". Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Marshal, The Viscount Byng of Vimy". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
- ^ "Thorpe 'the lifehouse' Spa in Essex, UK by The Manser Practice". The Manser Practice. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ^ "Lifehouse resort goes into administration". 23 January 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2013.