Oakley Hall

Oakley Hall is a Georgian manor house in Oakley, Hampshire, England, located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Basingstoke. The present building was completed in 1795 by Wither Bramston, who demolished an earlier structure on the site after his marriage to Mary Chute of The Vyne. The manor's history reaches back much further: the property, originally known as Hall or Hall Place, is recorded from 1299, when Robert atte Hall and John atte Hall were its free tenants under the manor of Deane. Over the centuries it passed through several hands, including George Wither in 1620, before settling with the Bramston family. Today Oakley Hall operates as a four-star hotel and conference centre, set within a wooded park of about 198 hectares (490 acres) that stretches from Deane to Church Oakley Parish. The estate lies east of Oakley's two main churches, St Leonards and Oakley Church, off the main road through the village. The building is described as elegantly decorated and offers facilities for small conferences, positioning it as a country-house hotel and meetings venue rather than a large-scale resort. The hall has notable historical associations. William Wither Bramston Beach (1826–1901), a Conservative politician, was among its residents, as was the early amateur photographer Jane Martha St. John (1801–1882), who lived with her husband at Oakley Cottage on the estate. In 1940 the hall itself was used as a boarding school known as Hilsea College for the children of naval officers. By 1973 the estate was reported to include Tadley Place and Wyford Farm. Oakley Hall is also linked to Jane Austen, who lived with her parents at the Rectory near Steventon Church and was a close neighbour. She often walked to the hall to visit her friends the Bramstons — Wither Bramston, his wife Mary, and his unmarried sister Augusta. In her letters to her sister Cassandra she recalled enjoying her visits, mentioning sandwiches with mustard, Wither Bramston's porter, and Mary Bramston's transparencies, a decorative hobby that a biographer connected to similar adornments in Mansfield Park. The Bramstons frequently invited the Austens to travel with them to functions, since the Austens had no carriage. As a commercial hospitality brand, Oakley Hall is a privately operated country-house hotel and conference centre. It does not appear to be part of a large hotel group, and no parent company or public listing is indicated in the available evidence. Its appeal rests on its Georgian architecture, its wooded parkland setting, and its literary and historical connections.

The history of the manor, originally known as Hall or Hall Place, dates from 1299 when Robert atte Hall and John atte Hall were its free tenants under the manor of Deane, Hampshire. The property changed hands several times over the centuries, coming into the ownership of George Wither in 1620, who added to it "estates in five other manors as well as the advowsons of two churches". The estate then fell into the hands of the Bramston family. Wither Bramston (born 1753) demolished the old building and completed Oakley Hall in 1795, after his marriage to Mary Chute of The Vyne. Notable residents have included William Wither Bramston Beach (1826–1901), a Conservative politician, and the early amateur photographer Jane Martha St. John (1801–1882), who lived with her husband in the estate's Oakley Cottage. A national school accommodating 120 students was built in nearby Oakley on the property of W. W. Bramston Beach in 1855, and by 1872 it was expanded, with a headmaster's cottage and a children's playground added. In 1940 Oakley Hall itself was used as a boarding school known as Hilsea College for the children of naval officers. In 1973 it was reported that the estate included Tadley Place and Wyford Farm. The building is now a four-star hotel and conference centre, located in a wooded park intersected by the former South Western railway. Jane Austen lived with her parents at the Rectory near the Church in Steventon. Oakley Hall was one of her closest neighbours and she often liked to walk there to see her friends the Bramstons. At this time there were three Bramstons living at the Hall – Wither Bramston, his wife Mary and his unmarried sister Augusta Bramston. In her letters to her sister Cassandra Jane recalled how she enjoyed her visits. She mentioned that she ate some sandwiches with mustard and praised Wither Bramston's porter (beer). She also admired Mary Bramston's transparencies which were decorations for the window. According to a biographer of Jane Austen this hobby was recalled years later when she described three similar transparencies as adornments of Fanny Price's East Room at Mansfield Park. In the same letter she mentioned that Mary Bramston promised to give her two medicinal plants called heartsease "one all yellow and one all purple". Then all of them walked down to the village of Oakley where they bought ten pairs of worsted stockings and a shift. The Austens had no carriage and therefore when attending functions they were often invited by their neighbours to travel with them. Since Oakley Hall was so close the Bramstons usually extended this invitation.

• 1973

  The estate is reported to include Tadley Place and Wyford Farm.

• 1940

  Oakley Hall is used as Hilsea College, a boarding school for children of naval officers.

• 1872

  The national school is expanded, with a headmaster's cottage and playground added.

• 1855

  A national school for 120 students is built in nearby Oakley on W. W. Bramston Beach's property.

• 1795

  Wither Bramston completes Oakley Hall after demolishing the old building.

• 1620

  George Wither acquires the property, adding estates in five other manors and two church advowsons.

• Robert atte Hall and John atte Hall recorded as free tenants under the manor of Deane.

Country-house hotel and conference centre set in a historic Georgian manor with literary connections.

• Four-star hotel accommodation

• Conference centre for small conferences

1. 1Oakley Hall, Hampshire - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Oakley Hall - Wikidatawikidata.org