Henry
Pownall
......
The year 1834
saw the death of Mrs. Fish and the subsequent purchase of Spring Grove by Mr.
Henry Pownall. This gentleman was very interested in local affairs,
especially in the form of improvements; he worked on many local committees
during an era when radical changes were taking place, not only in local
governments and conditions, but also in national affairs. He worked with the
Rev. Dr. Benson and Dr. Ralph Frogley for improvements to the town; 1829 saw
the building of the Church of Holy Trinity, for the construction of which Mr.
Pownall and others had worked; in 1830 he was a large contributor to the
Hounslow Town School; and in 1849 he worked towards the introduction of gas
lighting on the Great Western Road (London Road) through Hounslow. Mrs. Pownall
also aided in local improvements and in 1859 Spring Grove Junior School was
built at her own expense. Pownall Road and Pownall Gardens still commemorate
this local reformer's name and work.
...... During the time he spent at
Spring Grove, Henry Pownall spent a considerable amount of money on
alterations to the Biscoe House in which Sir Joseph Banks had lived. The
House was covered with Roman cement, a terrace was built along the south side
and the main entrance was moved to the East side of the house. The grounds
were nearly all made into pleasure gardens and it may have been at this time
that many of the rare plants, with which Banks had experimented, disappeared.
Inside the house Henry Pownall collected many beautiful pictures, among them
originals by Morland, Bol, Perugino and Rembrandt, while in his new entrance
hall he kept busts of famous people like Wellington and Pitt.
...... This Valuable, Freehold and
Tithe Free Estate, was sold by Messrs. Winstanley, at the Auction Mart,
Bartholomew Lane, on Wednesday, June 5th, 1850 at 12 o'clock. The fortunate
buyer was Mr. Henry Daniel Davis who appears to have obtained a most
desirable residence; since it -
...... "Is a most substantial
and elegant structure, and has recently undergone extensive improvements and
additions; it stands in the centre of delightful Pleasure Grounds on a
verdant lawn, which sloped down to a fine Sheet of Water, and is supplied by
never failing Springs rising on the Estate. It is approached from the High
Road by a neat Lodge entrance and handsome Iron Gates and gravelled carriage
drive through the Park to a handsome Stone Portico Entrance with a flight of
Steps to the Halls, which are paved with Stone".
...... The house then also appears
to have had six large major reception rooms, the smallest of which was a
morning room 18ft. 6ins. x 18ft. 6ins. and the largest 26ft. 6ins. x 23ft.
6ins., a Drawing Room with French windows leading onto the West lawns. There
was a large paved Entrance Hall with a stone staircase and stained glass
window, as well as numerous kitchens, larders, cellars, servants' hall and
butler's pantry. Upstairs there were five major bedrooms, the largest having
a dressing room as well as being 20ft. x 18ft. 6ins., and seven servants'
sleeping apartments. To the East of the House lay various outhouses for
storing fruit and vegetables, carriages and harness. There were also five
stables, a cattle shed, pigsties and poultry houses and two dairies.
The Cedars
......
In the grounds
were two very productive kitchen gardens, peacheries, vineries, greenhouses,
cucumber and melon pits, as well as a three-roomed gardener's cottage and a
park which was of rich meadow and fine timber. The pleasure gardens too were
extensive and varied with verdant lawns, American flowering shrubs, a sheet
of water and a French flower garden. A broad terrace and gravel walks led by
this paradise, disclosing a goldfish pond, fountain hermitage and Ice House;
and, terminated by a grove of limes in which the spring arose, there was an
avenue of magnificent Elm trees, some of which have survived until the
present day. Older still are the Lebanon Cedars, said to have been the gift
of the Duke of Marlborough to the Duke of Northumberland. One must not omit
the Holm Oak under the branches of which classes were taught in the early
days of Spring Grove Grammar School. Many people will also remember the
famous old cedar tree which blew down during a gale a few years ago. It was
replaced by a young tree, the gift of the School Secretary, Miss D.L.
Ashbrook who always takes such a keen interest in Spring Grove and its
pupils.
...... Mr. Davis, who had lived at
Thornbury House, now Campion House, died in 1898 at the age of nearly 80. He
was in a great way responsible for the residential planning of Spring Grove,
which altered it into a suburb for London's professional men and merchants.
...... In 1886, however, Spring
Grove House was sold to Mr. Andrew Pears, great grandson of the inventor of
the famous transparent soap, who formerly lived at Lanadron House, opposite
his soap factory in Isleworth. Mr Pears pulled down the Banksian House and built
at enormous cost the one which at the present time holds Spring Grove Grammar
School. This house was built partly on the foundations of the former house,
of which there are few remains; only some of the elms survive at this time;
none of Sir Joseph's rare plants (as far as it is known) are extant. There is
a small ivy covered remnant, perhaps part of the old house, to the west of
the present buildings, as well as the rock formation border of Sir Joseph's
Australian souvenirs. Those are all that remain.
No
Bathroom
......
It is amusing
to note that, in spite of the lavish fittings, the architect did not see fit
to instal a bathroom. This was not because of any doubts in the mind of Mr.
Pears as to the merits of his product, but rather to the contemporary fashion
of using hip baths. The lodge of the estate, now in The Grove, bears the
initials A.P. and the date 1893. Banksian Walk, now leading from The Grove to
Harvard Road, was the original main drive to the house, Harvard Road not
existing at that time. At the time of the completion of the house the grounds
were more extensive than at present. The building faced a broad lake, now the
south pitch, and two flights of white steps led to its verge, the tops of
these being still visible. It is recorded that Queen Victoria asked her
coachman to slow the horses of her carriage as she viewed "Mr. Pears'
beautiful grounds". The larger trees in the grounds can have grown
little since that time of Mr. Andrew Pears, and an impression of the past
beauty of the grounds can still be obtained.
...... Mr. Pears held several
social gatherings in the house and finally planned a grand garden party.
Invitations were sent to local tradesmen, friends and a number of nobility in
an attempt to overcome the class barrier. The tradesmen accepted but the
nobility ignored the invitations. Realising failure in one of his major
ambitions, Mr. Pears took up residence nearby in Isleworth and the house was
left deserted. It became known locally as "Pears white elephant".
Mr Pears inhabited his house for only a short time and, after he left it, the
house remained empty until his death.
...... After many years of neglect
the house was used as a hospital after the 1914 - 18 War, and later the
ownership passed to the Middlesex County Council. It became Spring Grove
Polytechnic, the principal being Mr. C.A. Wood, M.A., who shortly afterwards
was appointed Headmaster of the Secondary School which was housed in the same
building, while retaining control of the Polytechnic classes in the evening.
ENDS
