Hawkwood College

Hawkwood College is a registered charity and independent centre for education in a 19th-century Grade II listed building on 42 acres of grounds, including gardens, pastures, woodland and a natural spring overlooking the Stroud Valley.

The main house, a Tudor Gothic villa dating back to 1845, is a large gabled residence in the Cotswold style adjoined by a number of other listed buildings, providing a facility for meetings, conferences and courses.

There are ten acres of woodland bounding the estate, acres of grass land managed by Stroud Community Agriculture; a Victorian half-walled garden growing fruit, herbs, flowers and vegetables for the house; an award winning pond and wetlands system processing household output; mature ornamental grounds with a sycamore and beside it the Hawkwood spring. No formal qualifications are needed to participate.

First records of the estate go back to 1688 when it was part of the parish of Painswick, was known as The Grove and belonged to a certain John Mayo who died in 1715, leaving it to his daughters. Hestor, one of the daughters, was married to Samuel Capel, a Stroud clothier, who bought out the shares of the other daughters. Over the next years, the Capel family built up an estate of 822 acres in Painswick, Slad and Stroud, of which The Grove was the centre. At some point before 1842, this house had been badly damaged by fire.

It was William Capel (d. 1883) who engaged George Basevi, architect of the Subscription Rooms and the wings at Painswick House, to rebuild the house as it stands today, and a descendent, Lt.-Col. William Capel, who sold the bulk of the estate in 1914, the house on its 40 acres being sold four years after his death in 1932 to a Col. Murray. Col. Murray named it “Hawkwood” after the colourful 14th century mercenary Sir John Hawkwood, commander of the legendary White Company, whom he particularly admired.

In 1947, the house was sold to Roland and Lily Whincop. Mr and Mrs Whincop had become interested in Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and, after being deeply moved by a visit to Sunfield Homes at Clent Grove, Worcester, where they experienced the quality of care and devotion given to the Special Needs children there, wished to found some kind of retreat for the staff of the home and for others who wished to withdraw for a time to write or study. At a conference in Wynstones School they shared their intention and someone advised them that the Hawkwood estate was up for sale. On their way to take up residence there, Roland Whincop suffered a stroke and died three days later.

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Wikipedia