About Froyle Park Country Estate

Froyle Park History

Step into the history of Froyle Park

Several ideas as to the meaning of the name Froyle have been suggested, but the most likely seems to be Froehyll – an old English word meaning Frea’s Hill. Froli was a Royal Manor and was held by Edward the Confessor. His Queen, Editha, held the manor of Alton (Aweltone). With the Conquest, Froli came into the hands of William the Conqueror and is mentioned in Domesday Book as Froli. In 1086, William gave the manor to the nuns of St.Mary’s, Winchester. Around 1337 or soon after, John de Brocas, a refugee from Gascony, took service with Edward III. He fought at Crécy and the siege of Calais. He became Sir John Brocas and was rewarded with several estates of manors in Hampshire, including Froyle. The Brocas family continued to hold the Froyle property until 1539.

Froyle Park then known as Gasston House/Froyle Place is a listed Grade II* stone house believed to date from 1588 but 1620 seems a more accurate date. It was built by the Jephsons on the site of the older house and altered during the Jacobean, Georgian and Victorian periods. The neighbouring Church of St Mary is a listed Grade I Church dating from the late 13th and early 14th century and has a distinctive tower of 1722.

About Froyle Park

The History

Froyle Place as we see it today was built in 1620 by Sir John Jephson, and it is in the main, a gabled U-shaped Elizabethan manor house. A cellar at the north-west retains two fine Tudor doorways, and an adjacent quoin bears a consecration cross. The upper drawing shows the house in 1660.

A later picture (opposite) entitled “Froyle House, the seat of the Rev. Sir Thomas Miller” (which places it after 1770) shows little change.

From about 1900 a descendant of the Miller family, Sir Hubert Miller would spend some of his time in a villa he had in Venice. Sometimes he would stay away from Froyle for six months of the year. But, when he returned he would bring with him small statues of saints. These were placed in the niches and under the eaves of the houses and cottages belonging to the estate in Upper Froyle; and here they stand today, even though the estate has long since been split up. As a result of this Froyle has become known as ‘The Village of Saints’.

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, probably when bought by the Millers, sash windows were inserted and the principal rooms modernised in the Adam taste; in about 1865 and later, further alterations were made. Including that of the centre between the wings on the south-east front. The photograph opposite was taken in 1912.

Froyle Place in World War 1

During the early years of the First World War, Froyle Place was used as a Military Hospital, and in late 2000, the Froyle Archive was loaned a family album which included several pages recalling this period in the house’s life.

The postcard opposite shows Froyle Place in 1912 when it was the home of Mr F B Summers. There had been little change by late 1914 when the second photograph below, was taken. The house had then become a Military Hospital, known as Froyle Place Military Hospital.

After the death of Sir Hubert Miller, the last Lord of the Manor of Froyle in 1948, the estate was sold to the trustees of Lord Mayor Treloar College as a school. The main Treloar School site lies in the village of Upper Froyle in the parish of Froyle. The site, for approximately the last 60 years, has formed a key part of Treloar School with a range of institutional buildings constructed during this period. Treloars stayed here until 2011 when the whole estate was converted back in to a stunning Country Manor House. For the past 10 years it has been transformed into a stunning wedding location and every season plays host to many special occasions.

Froyle Park Wedding & Exclusive Private/Corporate Events Venue for up to 300 people located on the Hampshire & Surrey border

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