late 1800s and early 1900s. There is a rather spooky basement too where, on occasions, sightings of a friendly lady ghost – the Grey Lady - have been made over the years. The original flint retaining wall is still well preserved in places and is little changed for more than a century and a half.
Murrills House is a Grade II listed building and is believed to have preservation orders on two of the trees in the grounds as well. A Grade II listed building requires further explanation for those not familiar with the term. It is defined as a UK building or structure that is “of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve it”. Grade II is a classification that can be applied to a wide variety of buildings and other structures, in a range of ages, styles and locations. The special listing status means that we have to work closely with the local planning authorities to ensure any maintenance we do is in keeping with the building and its age. For example, we now know that some of the glass in the windows is centuries old. We also know that the original chimney builder inscribed his initials in the mortar before it set centuries ago.
IIMS is proud to be in a position to acquire Murrills House, a property so rich in history, and to become the next guardians of a building believed to have its origins in the 1500s. Murrills House is set on a half acre plot, has 20 parking spaces and a large garden area. We are close to Portchester village and railway station and the nearest motorway junctions are handy too.
There are many old and original features remaining in the property since it has been transformed into office accommodation in more recent years from the local 7 bedroom manor house it was in the
Since owning Murrills House became a possibiity in recent months, IIMS Chief Executive Officer, Mike Schwarz has been on something of a mission to find out as much as possible about its rich history. Indeed, the current IIMS landlord has been very helpful and has provided many of the historical clips and accounts you are about to read in the following pages.
house. Once it was purchased from the Southwick estate, Murrills House owned in the region of 200 acres with land running down to the water and a large working pig farm. Looking around at the urban sprawl today, that seems almost impossible to imagine. Censues have been viewed going back to the early 1800s, not long after the census first began in the UK in 1801. Various families are named as having lived at Murrills House, many of them large in number.
The Curtis family were prominent owners of the building from the late 1800s until just after the second world war. At that time Murrills was clearly well known as the local manor house of the area. The Curtis family it seemed enjoyed an enviable and halcyon lifestyle – the house was often thrown open and tennis was a much enjoyed sport on the grass court set within the gardens (sadly a car park now) in what must have been splendidly manicured gardens too.
Interestingly, Murrills House has a fascinating connection with the maritime world.
In 1952,
What we do know is that Murrills House started life as a tenant farm, part of a much larger estate in the area around 400 years ago. Its origins can be traced back centuries and the oldest part (beneath the current Accounts Office), is believed to date from the 1500s when cattle routinely lived in the
Top left:
The house features some Terracotta chimneys.
Center:
Murrills House was one of 12 buildings to be presented with a blue plaque by The
Portchester Society in 2005. Right:
The flint boundary wall. The Report • June 2019 • Issue 88 | 39
Associated British Combustion Ltd acquired the property as their head office and built a factory unit in what was the back garden. Their two most prestigious contracts, both with a Royal connection, were to provide and install the oil-fired heating system at Windsor Castle and to provide the boilers on board the iconic H.M Royal Yacht “Britannia”. How ironic that more than half a century on, IIMS should be set to pick up that nautical mantle once more.
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