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Much of the information about Fulwell Park, built 1623, comes from Twickenham Museum.
It was acquired by Sir Charles Freake in 1871, and renamed Fulwell Park from Fulwell Lodge. It passed to his wife Eliza in 1884, then to the Freake Estate in 1900 on her death and to Manoel II in 1910. I would be interested to know how and why it was sold in 1910, and also the precise limits of the estate.
Much of the estate, formerly the southern limits of Hounslow Heath, is now covered by Fulwell Golf Course, Strawberry Hill Golf Course, Twickenham Golf Course, Fulwell Bus Depot, Squire’s Garden Centre and the area between Fifth and Sixth Cross Road, Twickenham. The map below shows the approximate extent of the estate. The blue marker shows the position of the house.
Squire’s Garden Centre, Twickenham was created in 1964, on the former Blackmoor Farm, as part of a business started in 1935. David Squire, known as DJ, was head groundsman and gardener at the Metropolitan Police Orphanage in Twickenham (on the site of what is now the Shaftesbury Way Estate nearby. The yellow marker indicates Radnor Gardens, named for the Earls of Radnor, ancestors of Seymour Pleydell Bouverie, one of the syndicate who owned the land on which our house was built. I would love to know how he came to be a business partner of Sir Frederick Freake.
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View Teddington & the Freakes in a larger map
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The following text is extracted from the London Gazette dated Nov 23rd 1900
In Parliament—Session 1901. London United Tramways. (New Tramways in the Counties of London, Middlesex, and Surrey; Wideuings and alterations of levels of Roads and Carriageways; Compulsory purchase of lands for those and other purposes; Provisions as to the use of Mechanical, power and Generating Station; Agreements with Local Authorities and others ; Extension of time for construction of authorised Works ; Special Provision as to purchase by Local Authorities ; Amendment of Acts and Orders.) ~NOTICE is hereby given, that application is X1 intended to be made to Parliament in the ensuing Session by the London United Tramways, Limited (hereinafter called " the Company"), for an Act for all or some of the following purposes (that is to say) :— 1. To empower the Company to make, form, lay down, maintain, work, and use the tramways in the counties of London, Middlesex, and Surrey, hereinafter described, with all proper rails, plate, sleepers, works and conveniences connected therewith (that is to say) :— (In the following descriptions of the proposed tramways all distances and lengths stated in this Notice are to be read as if the words " or thereabout " had been inserted after each such distance or length.)
Tramway No. 17, commencing in Staines-road, at the western boundary of the Teddington Urban District, at a point in or nearly in line with the east end of Glebe-cottages, passing thence along Staines-road and The Green, Twickenham and terminating in the last named road by a junction with the authorised tramway at a point 47 yards in an easterly direction from Knowle-road. Tramway No. 17 will pass through or into the parishes of Teddington and Twickenham
Between points respectively 250 yards and 107 yards westward from the Lodge at the entrance to Fulwell-park.
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In 1902 the Trustees of the (Sir Charles) Freake Estate agreed to lease to the Tramway Company eleven acres of land at South Road, Fulwell, for 99 years. The building of the depot began at once. In due course the lease was bought outright. (Twickenham Society)
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In 1913, the exiled King of Portugal, Manoel II, settled with his new wife Auguste at Fulwell Park, from where he continued to strive for reconciliation with his country’s republican government. It is understood that in 1914 Queen Alexandra, Princess Victoria and the Empress Marie of Russia all attended a garden party at Fulwell Park. Manoel died suddenly in 1932 on July 2nd, the cause of death was an odema of the throat. (Arcadian Times.)
The sudden death has been regarded as suspicious as the previous day he had been reported playing tennis and by all accounts he had been considered to be in good health. There had been an incident the previous year at Fulwell Park where an intruder had been discovered in the grounds of Fulwell Park, who was later identified as a member of the Portugese republican terrorist group the "CarbonÃria" and deported to Lisbon.
In 1934 the King's home at Fulwell Park was sold without an heir and he received a state funeral in Lisbon. Afterwards, Auguste returned to her native Germany, where she created a new Fulwell Park. The couple’s house was demolished and the grounds were built over. The housing has since been supplemented by a great deal of infilling. (Hidden London.) The connection was marked in road names such as Manoel Road, Lisbon Avenue, Augusta Road and Portugal Gardens.
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