Warbrook House - Eversley, Hook, Hampshire (Pvt)
Warbrook was designed and built by the architect John James of Greenwich for his own use in 1727. Warbrook is named after the stream that waters the gardens.
John James was born in c.1672, the eldest son of the Rev. John James. He was apprentice to Matthew Banks, Master Carpenter to the Crown and claimed to have been instructed by him in the practice of building. He was Assistant Clerk to the Works at Greenwich from 1699-1718 when he became Joint Clerk with Nicholas Hawksmoor, whose works include the Mausoleum at Castle Howard. He succeeded as Sole Clerk on Hawksmore's death in 1736 and remained in charge of the building of the Royal Navel Hospital at Greenwich until his own death 10 years later. In 1711 he became master carpenter of St. Paul's; in 1715 Assistant Surveyor and on Wren's death in 1723, Surveyor.
The building of Warbrook crowned Jame's success as an architect and was probably the happiest time of his life. His only son was married in Eversley Church in 1728. Sadness soon followed, however, when his son died in 1732 followed by Jame's own wife in 1736. Both are buried in Eversley. In 1738 he lost heavily when a printing venture which friend and relatives had persuaded him to invest in, failed completely. After marrying again he settled in Greenwich where he died in 1746. By his will, Warbrook was sold in order to maintain his widowed daughter-in-law.
In 1838 Warbrook was bought by August Stapleton who had been Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons, George Canning. It remained in his family's possession until the late 1920's
The Stapletons left there mark on Warbrook in a number of ways. They shortened the branches of the canal which originally came up to the level of the house at each side, and they gave the house the Victorian seclusion by closing the public road across the park, replacing the drive with a side entrance guarded by a lodge. The brickwork of the house was then largely hidden by creepers and the rhododendrons which now screen the grounds were probably planted at this time.
Warbrook's next owner, during the late 1920s through to the 1930s, was an artist, William Bruce Rankin. William restored the interior, replaced the sash windows, and in order to bring the accommodation up-to-date, filled the recesses on the west front between the centre and wings with bathrooms and a pantry, all of which have since been removed.
The property was then acquired by a Mrs Humphreys-Owen. As well as presenting the village with a new village hall, she also added to the house at Warbrook. The last Duke of Wellington was the architect for the wing added to the north of the house. This was most successfully done to marry with the James House. Less successful was a porch and pillared loggia at the south end, which provided a sleeping porch and which has now been replaced with a conservatory.
A Balustrade at the end of the canal was placed there by Mrs Humphreys-Owen and came from the old Waterloo Bridge. The only garden ornament left from James' date is the sculptured plinth of the sundial in front of the house which was no doubt designed by James.
In 1965 after the death of Mrs Humphreys-Owen, the property passed into the hands of the late Honourable Anthony Berry MP. he lived at Warbrook with his family until 1975.
After a brief period when the property was virtually empty, Style Conferences restored the house and Warbrook became a conference centre. Park House was build within the grounds in 1987, originally as a family house for the owner of Style Conferences but was converted into extra training space and accommodation in 1990. In 1996 the farm buildings in the park were replaced by a purpose built addition, in the shape of the original buildings, which is called the Grange.
In 1985, IBM took over Warbrook exclusively for use as its Business School.