Today we will be looking at Bellefield House as part of our series on Brilliant Builings.
The house is built on 3 storeys with an above ground basement with flanking wings which are 1 storey high. The frontage of the house is made from Bath stone. The front of the house has a double flight of curved steps with plain wrought iron guard rails that leads up to a modern door. The roof has been modernised and some of the chimney stocks have been removed or altered.
The exact date for the building of Bellefield house is a little uncertain. In 1773 Joseph Mortimer was the chief landlord in the town and he appears to have been living at a house on the site of Bellefield in Hilperton Road. It is not certain that this is the house later known as Bellefield as his grandfather had a ‘dwelling-house’ in the area. What is known is that Bellefield House as we are familiar with now, was first rated in 1795. The house was occupied by the Mortimer family until it was purchased by John Clark, a clothier, in 1823. John was the son of Joseph Clark who was a shag and plush manufacturer in Bambury. Upon Joseph’s death, John and his brother Thomas were taken in by their uncle, the Reverend John Clark, who gave then the starting funds for their business J T Clarks the mill. Upon his death the property passed to his brother Thomas as John had no children to inherit the house. Thomas lived in the house until his death in 1859 at which point the property passed to his son, also called Thomas (are you beginning to sense a pattern with the names!). Thomas was a Major and somewhat controversial at the time as he married a woman who was not only 30 years his junior but was also a worker in his own factory! The property remained with Thomas’ widow until her death in 1938 and the house and contents were auctioned off. The property become offices for a variety of firms including hosting the Unigate Computer Centre in 1971 and the Ministry of National Insurance. In 2004 the property was converted from commercial to residential with the main house being converted into 9 self-contained flats and small houses were built on the former grounds of the property.
Timeline :
1773 : Joseph Mortimer is Chief landlord in Trowbridge and owns the land which becomes the site of Bellefield
1795: First time Bellefield House pays rates
1801: Clark brothers come of age and apprentice under their uncle the Reverend John Clark
1804: John and Thomas Clark form J and T Clark and become successful clothiers
1823: Bellefield House purchased by John Clark
1846: John dies with no issue and property passes to Thomas Clark
1859: Thomas dies and property passes to his son Thomas.
1938: Thomas’ wife dies and the property is sold off and converted to office spaces
1971: Unigate open their computer centre in the property
2004: Property converted to flats and grounds developed in to separate house
