The Dower House, Stoke Park
The Dower House, Stoke Park is a building in Bristol, England. It is one Bristol's more prominent landmarks, set on Purdown, a hill above the M32 motorway on the main approach into the city, and painted yellow.
The house was built in 1553 by Sir Richard Berkeley. Rebuilt by Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt circa 1760, it eventually became used as a dower house by the Dukes of Beaufort at nearby Badminton House. This included Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort and wife Elizabeth Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort whose daughter's obelisk can be found on the hill she died on from falling off a horse to this date.
It was used as part of Stoke Park Hospital, previously Stoke Park Colony, from 1909. The house closed as hospital wards in November 1986 when the final remaining patients were moved to other wards, though the laundry remained for a period. The building was sold in 1991 to the Sennitt and Neate families who planned to redevelop the house into a nursing home. However prior to any planning permission being acquired, in 1998 the house was sold on to a consortium of housing developers.and the main house was converted into 12 apartments in 2004.
The estate is now maintained as an open space by Bristol City Council, known as Stoke Park Estate.
Several aspects of the house and estate are listed. The house is Grade II* listed. The balustraded terrace, the Orangery, the remains of the Obelisk, and the Broomhill Gate are all Grade II listed. The woods contain the Beaufort Memorial, the cold bath and a partially derelict stone tunnel with rusticated entrance arches, all also Grade II listed.
