South Hill Park

South Hill Park is an English country house and its grounds, now run as an arts centre. It stands on 24 acres in the Birch Hill estate south of Bracknell town centre in Berkshire. The mansion was built in 1760 for William Watts and his wife Begum Johnson after his retirement from the Bengal Government. The house originally had two floors in the Italian manner, with baroque front entrance and tower. The grounds included 30 acres of common land which Watts enclosed, and he built almshouses half a mile away. The house passed through several owners including Henry Bouverie, Sir Stephen Lushington, and statesman George Canning. Architect Sir John Soane modified the house during Canning’s time. The Earls of Limerick owned it around 1827, followed by Sir James Matheson in 1847 and Sir William Hayter in 1853. Hayter’s son rebuilt much of the mansion in the late 19th century with Temple Moore as architect. The house is said to be haunted by two children who died in a nursery fire. Today South Hill Park operates as an arts centre with theatres, galleries, studios, and a cinema. The Wilde Theatre, opened in 1984, seats 330 and was named after Oscar Wilde. The Bracknell Gallery presents contemporary visual art, crafts, and live art. The grounds include two lakes, lawns, and trees, with a plaque marking a tree planted by William Ewart Gladstone in 1893. Recent developments created new studios for ceramics, printmaking, silversmithing, and fine arts, along with the Atrium bar.