PUBLIC PLACES
Wittington Court
It’s an amazing place to work. We are extremely lucky to have inherited such a wonderful landscape and we continue to work hard to improve it
BBC TV news bulletin.
“Interestingly, this sense of community did not extend to Lord Devonport back in the 1890s. The estate includes the riverside strip below the cliffs, which he bought to annoy his next-door neighbour, Robert Hudson of Sunlight Soap fame, who had acquired the adjoining Danesfield estate. This effectively denied Hudson access to the river resulting in a situation that still exists today.” SAS has long been an innovator in providing technology that helps organisations perform better and this continues a tradition from the 1930s when a Pelton wheel ran at Hurley Weir to power bankside batteries, with a 110-volt current piped to the house. This meant Wittington was the first house locally to have an electric washing machine. Stories remain of household staff having to traipse down to the river late at night to start up the wheel, powering the washing machine to the delight of late-night revellers in the main house.
A stroll around the grounds is a fascinating journey through time. Visitors at the gates are presented with open
lawns and wild meadows running down to the sweeping galleries and curves of the modern offices on the Upper Wittington site, opened in 2002. Walk for two minutes and you reach Wittington Court, an elegant fusion of old and new. This single-storey building inside the original house’s walled garden includes training facilities and offices and has won a prestigious design award. Close by is the Stable Block, a Grade II building sensitively remodelled and enlarged as a restaurant and offices, including a large glazed extension and freestanding gallery. Finally, you arrive at the old house, only 150 metres from the Thames. Carefully restored since 1985 without major external alteration, this remains the heart of SAS UK. A sprig of tea carved in the crest over the main door is an immediate reminder of original owner Lord Devonport, who made his fortune in tea. Numerous notable features in the house include an amazing chimneypiece from the former home of William Wilberforce, the member of Parliament who led the abolition of slavery. Visible in the library is the coat of arms of
Specimen trees
Upper Wittington PC October/November 2019 115
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