Daneshill House was built between 1900 and 1903 by Walter Robertson Hoare. Edwin Lutyens was the architect of the Tudor-Vernacular-style house, he also designed the adjacent Daneshill Cottage and Daneshill Lodge.
It provided the permanent family home for Walter and Constance and their eight children – although for much of the war it was taken over as a Red Cross Military Hospital. The house remained within the family until its sale in 1946. From 1954 to 1975 it was a girls’ prep school. Nowadays it houses a number of small business offices.
Lutyens was keen to use local specialist bricks and together they located a suitable source of clay. Encouraged by Lutyens, Walter set up the Daneshill Brick and Tile Company. These unique bricks were used to build the house and cottages with many intricate brickwork features. The brickworks continued to operate and supply bricks for many other Lutyens projects. David’s younger brother Jock ran the business until it closed down in 1957. The brickworks offices remain as another fine reminder of the bricks quality.
