Doxford House
Doxford House is an 18th-century mansion in the Silksworth area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
| Doxford House | |
|---|---|
 Front of Doxford House, 2008 | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Sunderland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54.86844°N 1.41686°W |
| Construction started | 1775 |
Formerly known as Silksworth House, it was constructed in 1775–1780 by William Johnson who on his death in 1792 bequeathed the property to his friend Hendry Hopper. In 1831 Priscilla Hopper, then heiress to the estate, married William Beckwith of Thurcroft. He was High Sheriff of Durham in 1857.[2] The Beckwiths moved to Shropshire in about 1890 and the house was let out.
In 1902, Charles David Doxford of William Doxford & Sons, brother of Theodore Doxford, took out a 99-year lease on the 24-acre (97,000 m2) estate. On his death in 1935, his daughter, Aline, bought out the lease. On her death in 1968, she bequeathed the house and estate to Sunderland Corporation who gave the house its present name and turned the gardens into Doxford Park.[3]
In 1989, the house became a students’ hall of residence for Sunderland University and from about 2000 to 2006 was occupied by the Lazarus Foundation, a drug rehabilitation charity.[4] It was later converted into a private home.[5][6]
References
- English Heritage: architectural description of listed building
- "City's secret garden set for revival - with a little help from its friends". February 2020.
- "History of Sunderland's 'Secret Garden' now set in stone - Sunderland Echo". Archived from the original on 24 September 2018.
- Cash-strapped rehab unit closes (22 February 2006). BBC, accessed 3 July 2008
- "Doxford House: Historic mansion of Sunderland shipbuilding family set to become family home once more)". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- "City's secret garden set for revival - with a little help from its friends". February 2020.