Roke Manor


Roke Manor is a 17th-century manor house approximately north-west of Romsey in Hampshire, England. The house and grounds are currently owned by Chemring Group.

History

The first known reference to a settlement at Roke appeared in the 'Feet of Fines' papers of Southampton in 1256. In 1709 the estate was passed to a John Fifield of Stanbridge Earls and remained in the possession of his family until 1858. During this time many improvements were made to the house and grounds, and the house was renamed 'The Park'.
In 1935 the estate was bought by the Ansell family, a Birmingham-based brewery firm. Some of the Ansell racing cars were maintained at Roke until the 1950s. In 1956 the house and of the estate were bought for £13,000 by the Plessey Company and named Plessey Research Roke Manor Limited.