History:
These gardens and the house are run by volunteers and have charitable status under the War Memorial Trust. They were purchased by Highbridge people in memory of Highbridge people who gave their lives in the Second World War. The Memorial Garden contains the Railwaymen’s Plaque which it is understood was at the Somerset & Dorset Locomotive Works then situated at Walrow and dedicated to th
e railway workers who left to join the services for duty in the First World War. The plaque was originally erected at the Locomotive Works; later it was removed to the north end of the booking office on the S&D Station, now part of the Willowbrook Estate. When the station was demolished it was relocated to Southwell Gardens. Situated in the Memorial Garden also is a plaque to honour our local hero Major Frank Foley. Major Foley was the subject of a book written by the Bletchley Park author Michael Smith entitled ‘Foley, the Spy who saved the lives of more than 10,000 Jews from the Holocaust’. Major Foley was born at 7 Walrow Terrace, Highbridge in November 1884 and went to the local school. Blue plaques are exhibited on the various buildings in the town. Hire Information:
Southwell House is available to hire at a small hourly charge, there are no hidden extra charges to the hourly rate. It has a fully functional kitchen, with full sized electric cooker, microwave and fridge with well stocked cupboards of cooking utensils, pots and crockery. Foldaway doors across the width of the main rooms are there to keep the kitchen area separate from the seating or to have as open plan option. The building is well heated with storage heaters and a couple of electric heaters for those days when the heating requires a bit of a boost. Two toilets are also located in the building with one being fitted for disabled use. There are a further three fold up tables should they be needed. The room can have a layout to your particular liking, with the table and chairs being light enough to move to your desired plan. There are various groups throughout the week that hire the house on a weekly/fortnightly basis; these include a sewing group, art group and the U3A making good use of the facilities on offer. The size of this building is ideal for a family get together to celebrate that something special, larger than your average home lounge and kitchen but smaller than a village hall, thereby keeping the sense of intimacy to a family event. In recent years the House has been hired for a family Christmas Day event and as a New Year’s Eve venue for a group of family and friends. The House is situated in an ideal central location of Highbridge, with ample free parking away from the main roads, situated on the edge of Highbridge Recreational Park, where Highbridge Town FC can be seen playing most weekends throughout the football season. These added ‘extras’ make it an ideal location for children’s parties where on a dry day the children can play outside in a safe environment away from traffic but close enough to the venue. There is even seating situated next to and close by the House for use when hiring the facilities. Please message the Admin Managers and team on the page to discuss a booking. Volunteers:
As previously mentioned all of the above is now only available due to the hard work and determination of a very small number of local Highbridge residents who had the forethought of creating the charity to enable the buying of the House and Gardens and keeping it for the people of Highbridge. Had this not have taken place approximately thirteen years ago it is anyone’s guess as to what would now be located on this land. These volunteers put in endless hours of work to keep these Gardens and the House up and running and all achieved by raising funds by various means. If after visiting this page and reading this small piece you would like to put your name forward for volunteering or have an idea on fund raising that could be held with this House and Gardens then please post your thoughts for the Admin Managers and team to read.
