History
Origins
Although originally documented in 1485, Thomas Goodman did not begin to build what was then known as Southam House until the early 1500s. Thomas Goodman was a local farmer who also owned two thirds of the land in the village, as well as leasing Southam Manor, which was owned by King Henry VII. In fact, the original manor house, from which stone was taken to build Southam House, still stands in Southam Lane and is now known as Pigeon House. Thomas Goodman stamped his identity on Southam House by placing his coat of arms and initials on the hall door, which can still be seen today. He also commemorated Henry VII and his Queen, Elizabeth of York, in the stained glass windows of what is now The Beaufort Dining Room, where these original features can still be seen.
In 1520, Thomas Goodman sold the unfinished house to Sir John Huddleston from Millom in Cumbria, who was constable of Sudeley Castle. He then completed the original Southam House, which remains at the heart of the now extended Ellenborough Park.
The De la Bere Era
In 1554 Sir John Huddleston’s granddaughter Eleanor married Kinnard De la Bere from neighbouring Prestbury. The coat of arms which represents the marriage of the two families can still be seen above the fireplace in what was The Parlour and is now part of The Beaufort Dining Room.
Southam House descended to Eleanor and Kinnard’s son, Richard De la Bere, who also bought Southam Manor with its lands in 1609. Richard De la Bere made considerable developments to Southam House, possibly to show his new status as a landowner in the area. A new cross wing was added at the southern end, the magnificent staircase was inserted and many rooms were panelled in oak. To mark these improvements, the De la Bere coat of arms was displayed on the panelling in The Library, where it can still be seen today.
Southam House stayed in the family through descent for over 200 years, most notably hosting King George III in 1788 when he visited during his long stay in Cheltenham. It was sold in 1833 to Edward Law, later Viscount Southam, 2nd Lord Ellenborough and 1st Earl of Ellenborough, former Governor General of India.
The Ellenborough Era
It is from this period in the building’s history that Ellenborough Park takes its name. Edward Law bought the house with its lands, and also the land of Oxenton Manor, a smaller property in the village, to form one large land holding. He was a Tory politician who had already made a name for himself in the Duke of Wellington's government of 1828, and he is chiefly as remembered as Governor General of India from 1842 to 1844, at a time of the expanding British Empire. Following his return he also served other high offices including First Lord of the Admiralty.
Edward Law made further improvements to the house, adding two towers so that it could be seen from the road and building a new porch on the site of the original one, to create the magnificent house as it stands today. On his death in December 1871 Southam House and Oxenton Manor were bequeathed to his son Edward, a captain in the Hussars, whose coffin has a place in the Earl's mausoleum attached to the church in Oxenton.
The 1900s and beyond
Following Edward Law’s death, Southam House and the landed estates at Southam, Oxenton and Prescott were rented out. From around 1906 the house was lived in by Mrs C M Ratcliff and her daughter, until the estate was broken up in 1927, as was also the case with many other country estates in the changing society after the First World War.
In 1947 a Miss Bellamy opened The Oriel Private School for Girls on the site, which was in existence for just twenty five years. The property was again sold and become the Hotel Delabere, which closed in 2008. The next chapter in the life of this stunning historic building is now unfolding.
