Welcombe House - The Story of a Victorian Calendar House
Written by John Richard Hodges
The present Welcombe House was built by Mark Philips a Manchester cottontot between 1866-1871. On his demise the house and estate passed to his brother Robert Needham Philips who was the MP for Bury and then to his eldest daughter Caroline, who married Sir George Otto Trevelyan. The Trevelyan family owned the Welcombe for the next 38 years.
In 1931 the Welcombe was bought by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company as a hotel and its reputation and prestige as a first class hotel continues to this day.
Shakespeare owned land close to the Welcombe, and his Grandfather lived in the nearby village of Snitterfield.
The Welcombe is an example of a Calendar House with, it is said, 52 chimneys, 365 windows, 7 staircases and 12 fireplaces – a sign of good luck!
Among the most notable guests was a visit by President Roosevelt in 1910 and Her Majesty the Queen in 1985.
