Farley Castle

Farley Castle is an early 19th-century modern house situated at Farley Hill, Swallowfield, Berkshire.[1]

The Gothic-styled, two-storey house in red brick with battlements and round turrets, was built by Martin-Atkins and Woodbury c. 1810, and was the former home of Benjamin Brodie.

At one stage, it was the residence of adventurer, author & amateur archaeologist, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, discoverer of the controversial rock crystal "Skull of Doom", who wrote his autobiographical "Danger My Ally" there in 1953/54.<Mitchell-Hedges, F.A. Danger My Ally Elek Books, London, 1954> From around the 1960s to the mid-1980s, the castle was the central focus of Hephaistos School. Hephaistos was founded by Miss Dorothy Woolley, for the purpose of educating boys with physical disabilities. Initially a day school based in the castle, Hephaistos became a Special School with the addition of amenities including a teaching block, dormitories, dining hall and a swimming pool.

During the 1990s, the area around the castle was developed into a housing estate.

References

  1. ↑ Historic England. "Farley Castle (1319147)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 December 2013.

Coordinates: 51°22′50″N 0°55′21″W / 51.3805°N 0.9225°W / 51.3805; -0.9225

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