Owner of Basingstoke's Winton House looking for new chapter

Winton House, in Winton Square, is thought to have been built in the late 1600s or earlier and has been used as a gentry home, girls’ boarding school, doctors’ surgery, and telephone centre in its lifetime.

The house was bought in 2007 by Colin Davison and currently functions as a restored commercial building housing short-term offices, but Colin is looking for its next step.

Owner and restorer Colin Davison said: “It’s had such a long history and constant use based on its demand.

“A demand for its space is not there now, I’m struggling to see how to help it get to the next stage.”

Winton House (Image: Newsquest) The house, which has 20 rooms and over 6500 square feet of space, operates as office space, which houses space2prosper and Cranleys Chartered Accountants, among other businesses.

Colin explained that he is inviting interest from planners, architects, buildings, developers, hospitality operators, healthcare tenants, corporate tenants or ‘anyone who wants to help preserve this civic asset.’

He suggested that it could be used as a single headquarters for a company or community institution, a surgery or clinic, a conversion to serviced accommodation or, with planning consent, a boutique private residence or events venue.

He said: “It’s a lovely building, such an interesting place.

“Winton House should not just be seen as a business opportunity. As the town modernises, it becomes ever more vital that we retain and celebrate the few structures that tell us who we were — and can still serve who we are becoming.”

An illustration of Winton House (Image: Newsquest) Winton House has served many purposes. In 1729, it was leased as a gentry residence by the Brocas family, from Sherborne St John.

Following this, it became a girls’ boarding school before it shut down due to a change in education laws in 1870.

Winton House became home to several high-ranking residents prior to becoming the town’s leading doctors’ surgery before the creation of the NHS.

The Post Office telephone exchange was based there during the Cold War, before it was used by the Ministry of Labour and the Department of Employment and Productivity.

Speaking to the Gazette in 2010, Colin said: “It’s a building that has a 300-year history covering a range of activity, from education, medical use and business. But it’s also very much a building for the 21st century with modern facilities.

“Many historical buildings almost become museums and go into sleepy mode, whereas Winton House is very much alive.”

Colin invites interested people to contact him at colin.davison@cranleys.co.uk