St Leonard's Hill

St Leonard's Hill was a three-story residence with corner towers, steep roofs, and ornate dormer windows set on grounds overlooking the Thames valley. The building featured classical rooms arranged across multiple levels, with landscaped gardens and parkland surrounding the entire property.

The mansion was built in 1760 by architect Thomas Sandby for Countess Waldegrave under its original name Forest Court. It passed through several notable owners including the Duke of Gloucester before being demolished in the 1920s following changes in ownership and circumstance.

The estate grounds revealed Roman artifacts, including coins from Emperor Vespasian's time and a medieval brass lamp adopted by the Society of Antiquaries.

The grounds once extended across a large estate with landscaped gardens and open parkland, now developed with modern buildings and residential areas. The location remains accessible to visitors interested in exploring the site where the mansion stood, with some original green spaces still offering a sense of its former scale.

Archaeological discoveries on the grounds included Roman coins from the time of Emperor Vespasian and a medieval brass lamp that attracted scholarly interest. These finds demonstrate that the site held value across different historical periods and connected the residence to layers of human activity spanning centuries.

GPS coordinates: 51.46820,-0.65100

Latest update: December 13, 2025 17:05