Stinchcombe Hill House, Dursely, Gloucestershire

“Typical of a class of country house which is springing up in the Midlands and Southern Counties.” Studio Yearbook 1912

 Stinchcombe Hill House stands high up on a spur of the Cotswolds overlooking the Severn Valley Constructed largely from the materials of an ancient mill, and in the Cotswold style, it has the appearance of an old Manor House that might have been built when GeorgeIII was King.Set in attractive grounds with sweeping gravelled driveway, formal gardens, and beautifully mixed woodland extending to some 10 acres, the house was designed by Morley Horder in 1907. It was built for Austin A Lister, director and chairman of R. A. Lister and Company Limited, famous for their production of agricultural machinery and engines. Founded in 1867, Listers was the main employer in the town of Dursley for over a century.

The view from the Hill was considered one of the finest in England. Beyond the River Severn are the Glamorganshire hills, the Brecknock Beacons, the Sugar Loaf and Stanton Hill. Following the course of the Severn past the famous Horseshoe Bend, May Hill, the Malvern Hills and the Worcestershire Beacon come into view, while directly up the Valley are the low square towers of Tewkesbury Abbey and the graceful outline of Gloucester Cathedral.

 On 3 March 1915 Austin A Lister married Kathlen Elizabeth Carson, the only daughter of James Carson of Lisburn at Railway Street Presbyterian Church, Lisburn. In 1919 he sold Stinchcombe Hill House and lands and in October of the same year the family moved to Basing House, Branksome Park, Bournemouth.

Reference           Studio Yearbook 192 page 31