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Born in 1632, Wren was appointed Surveyor of St. Paul’s
Cathedral just three years before the Great Fire. An
architect of public buildings, Wren made exceptions
only for two clients, both of whom, at the time of commissioning,
were Secretary to the Treasury, its most senior appointment.
The second of these was William Lowndes.
Born in the village of Winslow, Lowndes joined the Treasury
in 1675 as a clerk, being appointed Secretary 20 years
later. He immediately looked to Wren to help him create
his country seat. Work on the landscaping started in
1695 and, by 1702, his new home was complete. Around
the same time, Lowndes also invested in London property,
creating the Lowndes Estate in Knightsbridge, which
now includes Lowndes Square, William Street and a number
of surrounding roads.
In his late 60s when commissioned by Lowndes, Wren actively
oversaw the building of Winslow, employing senior craftsmen
such as Banks, the King’s carpenter, Hopson the
King’s joiner and Roberts the King’s serjeant
plumber; all three had also been employed on St. Paul’s.
After Winslow, Wren undertook very few new projects,
choosing to spend most of his time concentrating on
the completion of St. Paul’s, Marlborough House
and the State Apartments at St James’s Palace.
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Winslow Hall remained in the Lowndes family until 1897.
During WWII it was requisitioned for use by RAF Bomber
Command. As many as 300 people worked from its elegant
rooms, controlling RAF stations all over the country.
After the war, its sale to a firm of demolition contractors
alarmed the Wren Society, which persuaded Buckinghamshire
CC to protect it under the new Town and Country Planning
Act. This prompted the Hall’s sale to a Geoffrey
Houghton Brown, who ran an antique business from the ground
floor before, in 1959, he sold to the present owners,
the distinguished diplomat Sir Edward and Lady Tomkins.
They set aboutrestoring the fabric of the building and,
later, regularly opened the house and grounds to the public,
on a voluntary basis, to raise funds for charities.
Winslow Hall is being marketed by the Country Houses
& Estates office, London 020 7664 6646. Guide price
excess £3 million.
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