By Jason Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
Southampton City Council has advised South Stoneham House owner University of Southampton that measures must be taken to address issues as a “matter of urgency”.
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The listed former manor house, which dates back more than 300 years, “appears to be deteriorating”, according to council officers.
As reported, the condition of the vacant building, which most recently operated as student accommodation more than 15 years ago, was raised by residents in the annual court leet ceremony, which allows representations to be made to the city council on local issues.
At this year’s event in October, calls were made for the local authority and university leaders to preserve the Grade II* listed South Stoneham House.
The building is currently boarded up with the main gate into the Wessex Lane site locked shut.
Photo: LDRS
The cabinet approved its response to the court leet presentment at a meeting in late November, and a local authority officer said a site visit had taken place following a query by a member of the public.
The poor condition of the brickwork and downpipes had been noted, the officer said, as was the extent of vegetation ingress around the base of the building. The balcony ironwork on the southern elevation was also described as an “area of concern”.
The officer said: “When comparing to images taken of the building in October 2023 – the property appears to be deteriorating.
“This is a Grade II* listed building, and officers have informed the university planning liaison officer to contact the owner of the property (the university), advising that it is imperative that the building is made safe and secure from water/vegetation ingress at all times, and that they must seek to implement measures to address the issues outlined above as a matter of urgency whilst proposals for its future reuse continue to be explored.”
South Stoneham House was built in around 1708, with its design said to probably have been carried out by Nicholas Hawksmoor, who was a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. The grounds were landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1770s.
South Stoneham Tower before its demolition
It became university halls of residence in the 1920s, with a concrete tower built as an extension to the manor house in 1964. The premises was vacated in 2005, with the house boarded up four years later. The 17-storey tower was eventually demolished in 2022.
In response to the council officer, a University of Southampton spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Our maintenance team carries out monthly inspections of the manor house and site to deal with essential tasks and liaise with contractors when issues arise.
“We continue to assess options for the South Stoneham site as part of our wider estates plan.”
Previously
South Stoneham tower demolition looms - bitternepark.info 2021
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