Ireton’s House

Audio Transcript

Take a look at the distinctive Dutch gable at the top of this building. Number 47 High Street is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Walton and dates back to the 17th century.

Locally, it is known as Ireton’s House, named after General Henry Ireton, a leading Parliamentarian commander during the English Civil War. Ireton was a close ally of Oliver Cromwell and married Cromwell’s eldest daughter, Bridget. Although local tradition suggests that the house was given to him, there is no evidence that the family actually lived here.

During the Civil War, much of the local area was occupied by Parliamentarian forces who opposed King Charles I. From here, Ireton would have been just a short walk from the grand Tudor Oatlands Palace, which was once home to English royalty and stood on the site now occupied by Oatlands Park Hotel.

This building also tells the story of how Walton has changed over the centuries. If you look across to the opposite side of the High Street, you’ll notice that the buildings there are much newer. Before 1926, there were no shops on that side of the road at all. Instead, the High Street was bordered by the walls and trees of the vast Ashley Park estate.

By the early 20th century, this building had begun a new life as a shop. In the 1910s it was owned by J. J. Reading and Company and operated as a fishmonger’s and poulterer’s shop. Local families worked here for many years, serving the community and delivering goods around Walton by bicycle.

Standing here today, it is hard to imagine that what is now a busy shopping street was once lined on one side by a grand private estate and on the other by historic buildings such as this one, which have witnessed centuries of Walton’s changing history.

When you’re ready, continue along the trail to the Walton War Memorial.