St Leonards and St Ives Parish History
The area called Avon Castle is usually best known for the Victorian-builtproperty ofthat name, once seat of the Earls ofEgmont, but that was only from 1913 to 1938. The site itself has a much longer history that includes a "cottage ornee" named AvonCottage with origins on the site from mid 17th century. It grew to be the centre of a 1450 acre estate, and was replaced by the Castle in 1875-8 by the Turner Turner family, but there are remnants of the cottage in the cellars. (vi)
Today the district is primarily a low density residential area which includes some very exclusive properties. The Castle itself was converted into flats in 1949/50, most now privately owned. Previously linked with Ringwood Parish, it became part of St. Leonards and St. Ives with the county boundary changes of 1974. Some long established farms survive, once part of the Cottage and Castle Estates. (vii)
A version of the name Ashley appears in Domesday, but most of this early area is now lost beneath the A31 and the flyover at the top of the 1969 Spur Road to Bournemouth. Ringwood built its workhouse here in 1725, and the building survives as private homes. (viii) Ashley Heath, known in the 18th century as North Ashley Heath of some 3000 acres, dominated the vast Somerley Estate through the 19th century. (ix)
In the 1920s William Webb bought almost half of it and planned his Ashley Heath Estate. He began cultivation of the poor heath, built several concrete cottages, a forge and the shortest High Street in the country. He persuaded the railway company to provide a Halt in 1927. In 1925 he moved into his own home "Moorside" off the Horton Road, later to become the Struan Hotel, demolished in some haste for development in 2000. (x) Here too old farm lands survive, notably as Moors Valley Country Park, where the golf club house is the former Kings Farmhouse. (xi) An 18th century barn survives at Lions Hill Farm.
Barnsfield Heath, much of which forms today's Avon Heath Country Park, has links with the major southern estates back to the 18th century, part later to become Idaho and then Matchams House. (xii) To the west the Grange Estate is actually part of St. Leonards, but has its own stories to tell. It is believed to derive its name from Heather Grange, home to the owner of the internationally renowned late 19th century St. Leonards Poultry Farm. (xiii)
Nearby St. Leonards Hospital was built during 1942 as part of the D-Day preparations for wounded American troops, but survives today as a Community Hospital within the Dorset Care Trust. (xiv)
AVON CASTLE (Ted Baker 2007) - STRUAN HOTEL (from Tony White, Meeting House, 1990s) - HIGH STREET, ASHLEY HEATH (Parish Hall, 1920s)