Sunnycroft
Building in Shropshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunnycroft is a Victorian suburban villa, located in Wellington, Shropshire, and owned by the National Trust.[1]
| Sunnycroft | |
|---|---|
View of Sunnycroft from the lawn | |
![]() Interactive map of the Sunnycroft area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Location | Wellington, Shropshire, England |
| Construction started | 1880 |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Owner | National Trust |
Location
The house is located in the market town of Wellington, Shropshire, England, close to the town centre, on the B5061 Holyhead Road, originally the Shrewsbury to London road, and formerly part of Watling Street the Roman road from London to Wroxeter.
History
Suburban villas were almost 'country estates in miniature' which attempted to emulate upper class mansions on a middle class budget. Many have either been modernised, renovated or refurbished out of recognition over the last 60 years or so or have been demolished and replaced with later housing, converted into offices or residential care homes, or have been broken up into flats and smaller residences.
Sunnycroft was built in 1879 and extended in 1899.[2] It was built by brewer J. G. Wackrill and later owned by Mary Jane Slaney, a local wine and spirit merchant. From 1912 it was owned and occupied by the Lander family, until it was acquired by the National Trust in 1997. Many of the original interior fixtures and fittings remain in place, although electricity was installed by the Lander family. Many original features are still in place and the house therefore has a unique character and intimacy that is often lacking from larger properties but very evocative of its time and place.
The National Trust summarises Sunnycroft as a late 19th-century gentleman's villa, a typical creation of Victorian era suburbia, with:
- a rare unaltered interior, with an elaborate conservatory
- a mini country-estate, with pigsties, stables, kitchen garden and orchards
- colourful borders and summertime flower displays
- a superb long avenue of Redwood trees and lime trees.
Access
Gallery
- Veranda at the front of Sunnycroft
- The Grade II listed conservatory at Sunnycroft
- Conservatory Interior
- The visitor entrance to Sunnycroft
- Main staircase
- Drawing Room
- Mosaic tiled floor to entrance hallway
- Stained glass ceiling light over main staircase
- Master bedroom
- Cooking range in the kitchen
- The Aga cooker was manufactured by a company owned by a previous owner of the villa, Offley Lander [clarification needed]
