Walmoor Hill
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| Walmoor Hill | |
|---|---|
 West front of Walmoor Hill overlooking the river | |
| Location | Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°11′14″N 2°52′07″W / 53.1872°N 2.8687°W |
| OS grid reference | SJ 420 657 |
| Built | 1896 |
| Architect | John Douglas |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Designated | 10 January 1972 |
| Reference no. | 1375760 |
  Location in Cheshire | |
Walmoor Hill is a large house in an elevated position overlooking the River Dee on the west side of Dee Banks, Chester, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1] The authors of the Buildings of England series describe it as a "house of considerable size and panache".[2]
The house was built by the Chester architect John Douglas for his own use. It was built in the 1890s and, although bearing the date 1896, its service wing was never completed. Because of its large size and prominent position it was popularly known as "Douglas' Castle" or "Douglas' Folly".[3] Douglas lived in the house from about 1901 until his death in 1911. Following this, his son Sholto continued to live in there but had left it by 1918. It became a girls' school, Walmoor College. A 1935 publication shows it as Hampton House School, Walmoor Hill, a boarding and day school for boys under the headmastership of a D.P. Saunders-Griffiths, M.A. (Oxon.). It was later the headquarters of the Cheshire Fire Brigade.[4] Its use by the fire service ended in 1997.[5]
