(131) Anderson of Notgrove Manor

In 1918, Sir Alan Garrett Anderson (1877-1952), a shipowner, bought Notgrove Manor in Gloucestershire, which had recently been enlarged for another shipowner, Cyril Cunard. Anderson was the son of two remarkable parents: James George Skelton Anderson (1838-1907), the son of a Scottish clergyman who had built a fortune in the shipping industry, and Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917), the first woman in Britain to qualify as a doctor, founder of a hospital for women, and Britain's first female mayor (at Aldeburgh in Suffolk). Sir Alan himself steered his family business through difficult years either side of the First World War and into a merger with P&O, of which he became a Director. In both world wars he put his expertise in shipping and transport at the service of the Government, and from 1918-46 he was a Director of the Bank of England. Unfortunately in 1938 much of his recently extended house at Notgrove was gutted by fire, but he managed to get it reconstructed before wartime restrictions on materials became too severe.  When he died in 1952 he left Notgrove to his younger son, Sir Donald Anderson, who became Chairman & Managing Director of P&O and managed the company through a period of major change in which it diversified into freight transport and encouraged the adoption of shipping containers.  In 1968 he sold Notgrove Manor to Sir Cyril Kleinwort, the banker and shortly afterwards he retired from P&O; he died from cancer two years later.

Notgrove Manor, Gloucestershire

Notgrove Manor as depicted on the 1883 6" map.

Notgrove Manor is a building that has undergone extensive, often quite dramatic, changes during its long life. A manor house on this site was first recorded in 1231, but the first building of which anything is known was a range running north to south which from photographs in Country Life was probably built in the mid 16th century, and which was therefore probably built for Alexander Whittington. To this building, a later range of c.1600 was attached at the north end, running east towards the nearby church of St Bartholomew, and built roughly in line with its nave: this will have been the work of his grandson, John Whittington. In 1663 the house was taxed on six hearths, but soon afterwards it was divided into two dwellings. In the 18th century the Pyrke family reserved the long east wing for their own use, while the north-south range became the estate farmhouse. The Pyrkes wing was little used, as none of the family seem to have been resident, and slid slowly into decay, so that by the mid 19th century it was in ruins.

The estate was put on the market in 1871 and divided between Christ Church and Corpus Christi Colleges, Oxford. Corpus Christi bought out Christ Church’s interest in 1877, and was probably responsible for reconstructing and shortening the east wing of the manor house in the late 1870s. In 1908 the college sold the manor house and most of the land to the shipping magnate, Cyril Grant Cunard. He embarked on a scheme of considerable enlargement to make this his country house, which was carried out in 1908-11.

A.N. Prentice's design for remodelling Notgrove Manor for Sir Cyril Cunard,
from The Architect's & Builder's Journal, 1911

Cunard’s architect was A.N. Prentice, a choice that may not only have been influenced by his successful work at Willersey Manor, but also by his having designed interiors for ocean liners. Considering the extent of enlargement required, Prentice’s design was extremely sensitive, particularly the way in which he added a new dining room, suite of bedrooms and servants’ offices in a block attached at the north-west junction of the ‘L’ of the existing house, minimising interference with the historic fabric. The earliest part of the house was extended to the south to create a new drawing room with a two-storey bay window on the new gable end, while the recently rebuilt east wing was largely left untouched, apart from some minor internal alterations. 

A.N. Prentice's plan for the house, as published in 1911.

Prentice’s main opportunities for architectural invention seem to have been the picturesque composition of projecting chimney stacks and gables on the west elevation of the extended south wing, and the creation of a full-height entrance hall, achieved by eliminating a bedroom and installing a connecting balcony. Here the roof structure was exposed to dramatic effect. Elsewhere in the house plasterwork, panelling and a heraldic chimneypiece were supplied by Martyns of Cheltenham, who had previously worked on Cunard liners. At about the same time Prentice designed a thatched octagonal dairy, standing across the courtyard to the east, and laid out a formal garden with a long pergola to the west of the house.

Notgrove Manor from the 1924 6" map, showing the creation of a park, formal garden, drive and lodge, and the expansion of the house.

Cyril Cunard died in 1914 and his widow sold the house to Sir Alan Garrett Anderson in 1918. Sir Alan (d. 1952) was also a shipowner and a director of the P&O company. In 1920 and 1921 he purchased the parts of the estate retained by Corpus Christi College in 1908, and he also brought back A.N. Prenctice in 1919-20 to design a stable block and a cottage. Further additions were made to the house in 1936, including a small loggia at the west end of the 1910 wing, a new kitchen, and an extension to the north to accommodate garaging. Regrettably, a catastrophic fire in December 1938 gutted most of the earlier part of the house, although it was competently reinstated by Bertram Hume and Raymond Erith. 

Notgrove Manor from the south-east, showing the house as remodelled in 1969. Image: © Mike Hill.

In 1968 Sir Donald Garrett Anderson sold the estate to the banker, Cyril Kleinwort, who settled it on his daughter Elizabeth and her husband David Acland. In 1969 they commissioned a set of reductions and rationalisations from Martin Podd with the builders, George Foster of Broadway. These entailed shortening both rebuilt older wings and modernizing the garaging. The remaining part of the east wing was recast to become the entrance hall with a new staircase at the inner end. The gardens were also simplified at about the same time, and all but one bay of Prentice’s pergola was demolished. In 1995 a conservatory was erected in the south-west angle in front of the dining room. 

Notgrove Manor in 2013. Image: John M. Licenced under this Creative Commons licence

Descent: John Whittington (d. 1525); to son, Alexander Whittington (d. 1579); to grandson, John Whittington (fl. 1579-1637); to son, Edmund Whittington (d. c.1663); to granddaughter, Sarah alias Catherine Talbot (d. 1693), wife of Sir Clement Clerke (d. 1693); to son, Sir Talbot Clerke, who sold 1700 to Thomas Pyrke (d. 1702); to grandson, Thomas Pyrke (d. 1752); to widow, Dorothy Pyrke (d. 1862) and then to his great-nephew, Joseph Watts (later Pyrke) (d. 1803); to son, Joseph Pyrke (d. 1851); to son, Duncombe Pyrke, who sold 1871 to Corpus Christi College, Oxford; sold 1908 to Cyril Grant Cunard (1867-1914); to widow, Beatrice, later wife of W.H. Curran, who sold 1918 to Sir Alan Garrett Anderson (1877-1952); to son, Sir Donald Garrett Anderson (1906-73), who sold 1968 to Sir Cyril Kleinwort (1905-80), who settled it on his daughter Elizabeth, wife of David Alfred Acland (1929-2018); made over to son, Harry Alexander Acland (b. 1963).

Anderson family of Notgrove Manor

J.G.S. Anderson.
Image: Nat. Portrait Gallery

Anderson, James George Skelton (1838-1907). Son of Rev. Alexander Anderson (1808-84) of Aberdeen, born February 1838. A joint founder of the Orient Steam Navigation Co.; President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, 1886; JP for London and Aldeburgh (Suffolk); four times Mayor of Aldeburgh. He married, 1871, Dr. Elizabeth Garrett MD (1836-1917), the first qualified female doctor of medicine in the UK, founder of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital for Women, and mayor of Aldeburgh, 1908-10 (the first woman mayor in England), daughter of Newson Garrett of Aldeburgh (Suffolk), and had issue:
(1) Louisa Garrett Anderson CBE MD BS (1873-1943), born 28 July 1873; educated at St Leonard's School, St. Andrews (Fife) and Royal Free Hospital Medical School for Women; surgeon at Military Hospital, Endell St., London, 1915-19; later surgeon to Roll of Honour Hospital for Children, Harrow Road and consulting surgeon at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital; JP for Buckinghamshire; died unmarried, 15 November 1943;
(2) Margaret Skelton Anderson (1874-75); died in infancy from meningitis;
(3) Sir Alan Garrett Anderson (1877-1952) (q.v.).
He died of a stroke, 25 March 1907; his will was proved 8 May 1907 (estate £165,297). His widow died 17 September 1917; her will was proved 20 March 1918 (estate £24,098).

Anderson, Sir Alan Garrett (1877-1952) of Notgrove Manor. Only son of James George Skelton Anderson (1838-1907) and his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, daughter of Newson Garrett of Aldeburgh, born 9 March 1877. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Oxford, but left without a degree to join the family shipping business, Anderson, Anderson & Co. (the Orient Line), which in 1919 became part of the Peninsular & Orient Steam Navigation Co (the P&O Group); he was a Director of Suez Canal Co, P&O Group, Macbraynes Shipping Co., the Midland Railway and later the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. He was a Director of the Bank of England, 1918-46 (deputy Governor, 1924-26). An enthusiastic yachtsman, he was an honorary Captain, Royal Naval Reserve. Vice-Chair of Royal Commission on Wheat, 1916-17; Chairman of Wheat Executive, 1917; Controller of the Navy and member of the Board of Admiralty, 1917-18; Vice-Chair of Food Council and member of sugar supply committee, 1918; High Sheriff of London, 1922; President of UK Chamber of Shipping, 1924; one of HM's Lieutenants for the City of London, 1927; President of Institute of Marine Engineers, 1928; President of Hospital Savings Association; MP for City of London, 1935-40; Chairman of Cereals Control Board, 1939-40; Controller of Railways, 1941-45. Knighted, 1934 and appointed Officer of the Legion d'Honneur (France); Commander of the order of the Crown of Italy and the order of the White Rose of Finland. Tall and vigorous, he was said to have a magnetic personality and a fine sense of humour, and his capacity to absorb details without forgetting their wider context was formidable. He married, 9 June 1903, Muriel Ivy (1883-1971), elder daughter of George William Duncan of Cedar Grove, Richmond (Surrey), and had issue:
(1) Sir Colin Skelton Anderson (1904-80) (q.v.);
(2) Sir Donald Forsyth Anderson (1906-73) (q.v.);
(3) Diana Elizabeth Anderson (b. 1911); county organiser of Women's Land Army in Gloucestershire in WW2; died unmarried;
(4) Hermione Charteris Anderson (1915-99), born 19 February 1915; died unmarried, November 1999.
He purchased Notgrove Manor in 1918. At his death it passed to his younger son.
He died 4 May 1952; his will was proved 31 May 1952 (estate £169,017).  His wife died in 1971.

Anderson, Sir Colin Skelton (1904-80). Elder son of Sir Alan Garrett Anderson (1877-1952) of Notgrove Manor and his wife  Muriel Ivy, daughter of George William Duncan of Richmond (Surrey), born 15 July 1904. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Oxford (Hon. Fellow, 1963); hon. LLD (Aberdeen, 1963).  Chairman of Anderson Green & Co. Ltd. and Grey, Dawes, Westray & Co. Ltd.; director of P & O Steam Navigation Co., Midland Bank Ltd., Orient Steam Navigation Co., Marine Insurance Co. Ltd., Australia and New Zealand Bank Ltd. and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Ltd. President of UK Chamber of Shipping, 1949-50 and chairman of General Council of British Shipping, 1949-50; President of International Chamber of Shipping, 1949-63, British Employers' Confederation, 1956-58 (vice-president, 1952-56); Chairman of National Association of Port Employers, 1947-48 and 1950-54; Chairman of Trustees of Tate Gallery and of Royal Fine Art Commission; member of Council of Royal College of Art (chairman, 1952-56 and later Provost); Prime Warden of Worshipful Co. of Fishmongers, 1963-64.  Knighted 1950 and appointed KBE 1969 and Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau, 1948 (Holland). Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, 1953; hon. FRIBA, 1957. He married, 31 March 1932, Morna Campbell (1906-82), daughter of Sir Alexander Campbell MacCormick KCMG MD of Kilmory Point, Piper, Sydney (Australia) and had issue:
(1) Airlie Garrett Anderson (b. & d. 1933), born January 1933; died in infancy, October 1933;
(2) Catriona Garrett Anderson (b. 1935), born 10 July 1935; married, 9 August 1958, John Williams, architect, only son of W.E. Williams of Bath, and had issue two sons and two daughters;
(3) Rose Ferlina Garrett Anderson (b. 1943), born 24 June 1943; educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College and Sorbonne, Paris (France); married, 6 October 1964, John Humphrey Robertson Carver, eldest son of Humphrey Carver of Dunstisbourne Leer (Glos) and had issue two sons and one daughter.
He died 16 October 1980. His wife died 24 February 1982.

Anderson, Sir Donald Forsyth (1906-73) of Notgrove Manor. Younger son of Sir Alan Garrett Anderson (1877-1952) of Notgrove Manor and his wife  Muriel Ivy, daughter of George William Duncan of Richmond (Surrey), born 3 September 1906. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Oxford (BA 1928; MA 1931). Employed by Anderson Green & Co., later P&O Steam Navigation Co., 1928-39 and 1943-71 (assistant manager, 1936; director, 1943; managing director, 1946; deputy chairman, 1950; chairman, 1960-71) and was responsible for diversifying the business and developing the container shipping industry in the 1950s and 1960s; served in Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of War Transport, 1939-43 and as part of British Shipping Mission in Washington DC (USA), 1941-43; Director of National Provincial Bank Ltd., Australia & New Zealand Bank Ltd. and other companies. Chairman of British Shipping Federation, 1950-62; President of International Shipping Federation; and joint Chairman of National Maritime Board; President of UK Chamber of Shipping, 1953-54, Institute of Shipping & Forwarding Agents, 1955 and Institute of Marine Engineers, 1956-57; Chairman of British Liner Committee, 1957-58; President of Institute of Export, 1961-63; Hon. Treasurer of Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. Knighted 1954; DL for Gloucestershire, 1960. He married, 28 February 1935, Margaret Elaine (1913-2002), daughter of Sir David Richard Llewellyn, 1st bt.. and had issue:
(1) Gillian Elizabeth Anderson (b. 1936), born 15 January 1936; educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College and Royal Free Hospital Medical School, Univ. of London (MB, BS 1962); MRCS, LRCP; Tribunal Member, Guardianship Board of New South Wales, 1989-96; married, 24 May 1965 (div. 1984), William Peter Grant Davies, son of William Grant Davies, and had issue one son and two daughters; lived in Sydney, Australia;
(2) Jennifer Forsyth Anderson (b. 1937), born 10 November 1937; educated at Southern Manor School; married, 7 August 1965, Anthony David Loehnis CMG of Houghton House, Churchill (Oxon), son of Sir Clive Loehnis KCMG, and had issue three sons;
(3) Lindsay Garrett Anderson (b. 1942), born 4 December 1942; educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College and Sorbonne, Paris (France); DL for Hampshire; High Sheriff of Hampshire, 1997-98; married, 6 September 1962, Robert Trench Fox CBE of Cheriton House (Hants), son of Waldo Trench Fox MC of Penjerrick (Cornwall) and had issue two sons and two daughters;
(4) Susan Elaine Anderson (b. 1945), born 4 September 1945; JP and DL for Hampshire; married, 14 October 1965, Adam Ivo Stuart Bligh, 11th Earl of Darnley of Netherwood Manor, Tenbury Wells (Worcs) and had issue one son and one daughter.
He inherited Notgrove Manor from his father in 1952 but sold it in 1968; he also had a farm near Moreton-in-Marsh and a London home at 105 Park Lane.
He died of cancer, 20 March 1973. His widow died 4 December 2002.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry: the Kingdom of Scotland, 2003, pp. 18-19; The Architects’ and Builders’ Journal, 1 March 1911, p. 220; Country Life, 21 November 1914, pp. 678-83; A. Stuart Gray, Edwardian Architecture, 1988, p. 294; L. Archer, Raymond Erith, Architect, 1985, p. 113; D. Verey & A. Brooks, The buildings of England: Gloucestershire - The Cotswolds, 1999, p. 525; N.W. Kingsley & M.J. Hill, The country houses of Gloucestershire: vol. 3, 1830-2000, 2001, pp. 196-97; VCH Gloucestershire, vol. 9, 2001, pp. 148-49.

Location of archives

Anderson, Sir Alan Garrett (1877-1952): papers relating to Government posts and membership of trade missions, 1917-36 [The National Archives, PRO30/68]
Anderson, Elizabeth Garrett (d. 1917): personal and family correspondence and papers, c.1861-1918 [Suffolk Record Office, Ipswich, HA436]; legal papers, 1871-1918 [London School of Economics, Women's Library, 7/EGA]; letters, papers, photographs and ephemera, c.1883-1903 [London Metropolitan Archives, H72/EGA]

Coat of arms

Argent, a saltire between two mullets in the flanks and a crescent in base gules, on a chief azure three ganders volant proper over a sea undy of the first and third.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 20 July 2014, and was updated 23 September 2018.