Peartree House

PEARTREE HOUSE – Built 16th Century and altered and enlarged during 18th Century. The Myles family lived at the property in the early 18th century. Following the death of the last Myles c1800, the property passed to relations named Waring and Speed.

George Waring lived at the house in the early 19th century and may have been responsible for the added crenellated front (possibly due to rivalry with Bitterne Manor which had its crenellations added around the same time). Following George Waring’s death in 1828, his widow sold Peartree House to Mrs Webber. She in turn passed it on c1835 to General Shrapnel, inventor of the shrapnel shell (he died in 1842). From then until 1853 the house was occupied by Rear Admiral Sir J Wentworth Loring and his family. From 1854 to 1863 the house was occupied by R Hesketh. After being left empty for several years, the house was then lived in from 1966 to 1875 by George Errington who then moved to Merry Oak. The next 10 years of Peartree House’s history is unclear but it is known that James Appleford lived there in 1886 until he moved to Millbrook in 1888.

The house was then inhabited by Hugh Stanley Morris. In 1893 the house was sold to John Cruickshank an active local education figure, he then sold the property to Llewellyn Llewellin in 1917 who used to run a school there. In 1918, Peartree House was acquired by John Jackson who resided there until c1932. The area and land around the house was developed for housing throughout the 1930’s. According to the Kelly’s Directory for Southampton, the house was being run as a Hotel 1948-1949 with H Pierce the proprietor.

Southampton Corporation acquired it in 1949 converting it to an old people’s home. Still today Peartree House is a convalescent home.

(Text from THE LOST HOUSES OF SOUTHAMPTON by Jessica Vale which is available to browse at ourĀ Heritage Centre)

The Peartree House is Grade II Listed by Historic England view theĀ official entry in their record

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