Castle Park House
| Castle Park House | |
|---|---|
 Location in Cheshire
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| Location | Frodsham, Cheshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°17′33″N 2°43′51″W / 53.2926°N 2.7309°WCoordinates: 53°17′33″N 2°43′51″W / 53.2926°N 2.7309°W |
| OS grid reference | SJ 514,775 |
| Area | Over 24 acres (97,000 m2) |
| Built | Late 18th century |
| Built for | Robert Wainwright Ashley |
| Rebuilt | 1850s |
| Architect | T. M. Penson (?) |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate |
| Governing body | Cheshire West and Chester Council |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Castle Park, Frodsham | |
| Type | Historic parks and gardens |
| Designated | 18 June 2002 |
| Reference no. | 1001622 |
Castle Park House is a former country house surrounded by extensive grounds in the market town of Frodsham in Cheshire, England. It is built on the site of Frodsham Castle, and originates from the late 18th century. It was extended in the 1850s, and its gardens were laid out by Edward Kemp. The house passed into the ownership of the local council, and is used for a variety of functions. Its grounds are a public park.
The house is built on the site of Frodsham Castle which burnt down in 1654. In the late 18th century the first house on the site, Park Place, was built by Robert Wainwright Ashley, a lawyer in the town. On his death the house was inherited by his eldest son, Major Daniel Ashley II until his death in 1841. It was then inherited by his brother Reverend Thomas Ashley, but mortgaged to Philip Humberston of Chester. During this time it was leased to Captain Harry Heron.
In 1851 it was bought by Joseph Stubs of Warrington, a manufacturer of engineers' tools. He started to develop and extend the house and outbuildings and commissioned Edward Kemp to lay out the woods and gardens, which comprised an area of more than 24 acres (97,000 m2). The architect for the rebuilding was probably T. M. Penson. Its style is "reserved Italianate". Stubs did not live to see the work completed as he died in 1861. It was bought by auction for over £9,500 (equivalent to £800,000 in 2015) by Edward Abbott Wright, a Quaker cotton manufacturer from Oldham. The house then came to be known as Castle Park. The Wrights had five children, a boy who died at the age of 14, and four girls. Edward's wife died in 1868 and Edward continued to live in the house, commuting for his business and political interests from Frodsham railway station, until he died at the age of 83 in 1891. Following this, Edward's two unmarried daughters, Harriet and Emily continued to live in the house until the last remaining daughter, Harriet died in 1931.
The grandchildren of Edward, who were the beneficiaries of the will, presented the house and 12 acres (49,000 m2) of ornamental grounds to the Runcorn Rural District Council (of which Frodsham was at that time a part) for the "use, enjoyment and benefit" of the inhabitants. The grounds were used as a public park and the house as the offices of the Rural District Council. After the reorganisation of 1974 the ground floor was used by Vale Royal Borough Council and Frodsham Parish Council.
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Wikipedia