Red Rice, Abbots Ann, Andover
The home of Henry Adolphus Simonds (1855-1904) from 1886 – 1900
Leased from the family of Thomas Best who died in 1886, Henry lived here until his wife Emily [nee Boulger] died in 1897, so in 1900 he decided to move to Audleys Wood, just south of Basingstoke.
Red Rice was a fine Georgian home with a sporting estate, so that he could indulge his passion for shooting. It was said to have been the hideaway of one of Charles II’s mistresses.
There is a family letter to relatives in New York, explaining the horrors of the night it caught fire over Easter in 1892, written by Mary Simonds, née Turnbull (1857-1930)
The house is now a boarding school.
Interesting to note that there appears to be no electric light in this drawing room image.
There is more about the house HERE: It is now Farleigh School, a Catholic Prep School.