Early history
Welton House was possibly built on the site of a medieval mansion once owned by Henry Campioun. However, the first definitive records show ownership by the Eyre family, whose name had been tied to Welton since the 13th century. During the 15th century, Henry Eyre inherited both his brother’s property in Welton (which later became Welton House) and his uncle’s estate in nearby Braunston.
At this time, the original manor in Welton was managed by the Catesby family of Ashby St Ledger. John Catesby eventually purchased Welton House from Henry Eyre, securing it as one of the most prestigious properties in the village.
17th century onwards
The version of the house known in living memory likely dated back to the 17th century. Throughout this era, the owners of the Ashby St Ledger’s estate retained ownership of Welton House, a connection that lasted into the 20th century.
In 1810, the Reverend John Wilson was living in the house when his young son John Charles sadly died. June 1833 saw Miss Catherine Ashley dying in the house.
Her link to Rev Wilson is unclear but it seems he continued to lived there as Welton House was advertised to let in 1834, described as ‘late in the occupation of the Rev John Wilson’.
Mr John Lathbury lived there in 1843, marrying Miss C Woodin in that year, but by the following year it was again advertised to let
1847 saw Charles Clarke, Curate of Norton and Chaplain to the Daventry Union as the occupier, he wrote this rather fiery letter to the press which we are struggling to decipher. Clearly he was most upset about something!
Reverend Clarke was still there in 1852 when his son was born and references are found to his family being in Welton House in 1854.
Later records place a P. Lee in situ in 1860. 1871 has Margaret Watson, widow of the late Walter Watson, her three daughters and her son living in the house and in 1873, Margaret died there. By 1890, records show the residents were the “Watson misses” The logical conclusion is that they were related to Walter and Margaret. The 1891 census clarifies this reference, identifying them as Lydia Watson, Margaret’s daughter, and her sister-in-law, Eliza.
At this point, the road the property stood on was known as Stockwell Green. Local records from this era mention cottages on Stockwell Green; based on the residents’ occupations, these were highly likely workers’ cottages serving Welton House.
20th century
While Welton House appears in the 1901 census, it lists only the servants: Sarah Whittington, Edith Groom, Florence Henman, and Emily Oates. This omission occurred because the census only recorded individuals physically present on the day it was taken, probably meaning the owners were away.
However, we know that Gerald Martin Soames, a brewer, lived in the house at least between 1900 and 1907.
The quick turnover of occupiers continues with Mrs Gifford living there in 1908.
By 1911, and until at least 1916, the house was occupied by Mr Henry Ernest Courage, a director of the brewing firm Courage & Co. and Vienna Works Limited, his wife Isabel and six servants. Mr Courage was also a prominent figure in the local Pytchley Hunt. They had two sons, Ronald and Kenneth. Both boys were at boarding school and so did not appear on the census.
Kenneth sadly died in 1913 at just 15 years old, of pneumonia following measles. We have found a long report on his funeral, his coffin was taken from Welton House to the church in Long Buckby for burial. Interestingly, Mr and Mrs Gerald Soames (see earlier) attended the funeral. As Gerald’s occupation was a brewer, we wonder if he worked for Henry Courage. The ‘indoor and outdoor’ staff of Welton House are recorded as sending their condolences.
The next record of occupation dates to 1919, when Countess Frances Wenzel Wratislaw lived in the house briefly. The house’s contents were recorded as part of her estate following her time there. The Wratislaw family belonged to the Czech nobility, and her father-in-law, Count William Ferdinand Wratislaw, had been born locally in Rugby and practised law there.
Her’s is another sad story; her husband Count Wenzel Ernest Wratislaw committed suicide by shooting himself at their home in Barby in early 1919. He had a history of drug taking and depression.
She moved to Welton House but died herself just a few months later, aged only 40. The couple’s infant daughter Valerie had died in 1903 and one can’t help wondering if this was the start of the family’s problems. All three are buried in St Marie’s Catholic church in Rugby.
The interwar years
The next recorded resident was Mrs Mary Young Joynson, a 42-year-old from Liverpool. The 1921 census shows her living in the house with her three daughters—Rosemary, Margaret, and Frances—alongside her nephew and three domestic servants. An E.B. Joynson is noted as a member of the village cricket team around this time – maybe the nephew listed on the census who is named as Beric B. Johnson – quite likely a mis-transcription of Eric. Mrs Joynson sold the property in 1924.
Between 1924 and 1931, newspaper archives and local mentions frequently associate a Mary Elizabeth and Major H. W. Hibbert with ‘Welton House’. In one incident from 1930, Mrs Hibbert was fined for employing “a servant without a licence.”
Sir Halford Reddish purchased the property sometime in the early 1930s, we are not sure of the exact year. He was certainly living in Welton by 1935 as this press report in November of that year tells of a nasty car accident he suffered on his way home along what we now know as the A361.
The Reddish era
Regardless of the exact purchase date, Sir Halford Reddish made Welton House his home from the early 1930s, with his wife Valerie presumably joining him there on their marriage in 1946. They lived at the house until their respective deaths in the 1970s. Sir Halford was the chairman of Rugby Portland Cement and a celebrated industrialist who was knighted in 1958 for services to industry.
The couple were in many ways generous to the parish, donating a portion of the house’s estate to the village so that the Village Hall could be built and Lady Reddish paying for the build. They did, however, impact the village in more negative ways too, removing gravestones from the churchyard to give themselves easier access from the house.
During their residency, Welton House was rumoured to hold the largest solid oak dining table in Europe. While this claim was never formally documented and may have been a proud boast by Sir Halford, the selling off of his assets did feature a “magnificent” oak table.
At its peak, the Welton House estate was a grand operation. It featured impressive heated stables, expansive greenhouses, and several properties. These included Wisteria Cottage, Stockwell Cottage, and Southgate—the estate’s lodge house, which sits on the corner of what is now Halford Way and Kiln Lane. The estate’s farm manager, latterly a Mr Day, resided at Northgate on Station Road.
Welton House circa 1950
Local memories recall Sir Halford’s Bentley pulling up outside the house every morning at exactly the same time, ready to take him to his work in Rugby.
Sir Halford’s pride in his home is captured by an item held by the Welton History Group: a custom jigsaw puzzle of Welton House, which Sir Halford commissioned in 1961 as a Christmas gift for his staff and business associates.
Decline, Fire, and Redevelopment
Following Sir Halford’s death in 1978, the estate began to fragment. The house and its immediate grounds changed hands several times, and the 63 acres of accompanying farmland were sold off separately.
In its final active years, the historic house was converted into commercial offices. Local lore suggests that an application to convert the building into residential apartments was submitted and rejected during this time, though no records have been found to confirm it.
Disaster struck on the night of 8 March 1986, when a devastating fire broke out, requiring 40 firefighters to control it. At the time, the property was owned by Mr David Green, the owner of Staverton Golf Club.
Archival photographs—including coverage from the Chronicle and Echo on the following day—show damage concentrated around the roof.
One villager remembers playing in the ruins as a child:
I have many fond memories of exploring the burnt-down house as a kid, despite assemblies at the school being devoted to how dangerous it was. The woodshed, the huge morgue-like tiled kitchen, the cellar with its damp and rats, the upstairs bathroom with a loo that had fallen through the floor, the mysterious room downstairs that was full of phones. It was like a real-life Cluedo board.
After sitting derelict for several years, the site was acquired by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), who ultimately demolished the remaining ruins. They kindly donated a portion of land behind the house to the village, now known as The Spinney.
The land was subsequently cleared for housing redevelopment. Though an initial prospective developer failed to complete the project, the housebuilding firm Francis Jackson took over the site in 1997, completing the residential close we know today as Halford Way.
Welton House originally stood on the right-hand side of Halford Way as you enter from the main road. Positioned at a right angle to Kiln Lane, the footprint of this once-prestigious building now rests beneath the gardens and houses of the modern road.