Mount Felix
Audio guide to this location
Audio Transcript
You are standing on the site of Mount Felix, once one of Walton’s grandest houses and later one of the most important New Zealand military hospitals of the First World War.
A house has stood here since at least the 17th century. In 1713, the estate was purchased by Captain Henry Rodney, father of the future Admiral Lord Rodney, whose birthplace you may have visited earlier on the Town Centre Trail.
During the 18th century, Mount Felix became home to the Earl of Tankerville, a keen supporter of cricket. His gardener, Edward “Lumpy” Stevens, became one of the game’s greatest bowlers and helped inspire the introduction of cricket’s third stump.
In 1836, the house was rebuilt by the architect Sir Charles Barry, who later designed the Houses of Parliament in London. The magnificent Italianate mansion stood within extensive grounds overlooking the Thames.
The estate entered a new chapter during the First World War. Following the Gallipoli campaign, Mount Felix became the New Zealand Walton Hospital. Wounded soldiers soon began arriving, and additional hospital buildings were constructed in the grounds.
Together with the nearby Oatlands Park Hospital, around 27,000 New Zealand servicemen were treated here. The connection between Walton and New Zealand remains strong today, with ANZAC Day commemorated each April and memorials throughout the town.
After the war, the estate gradually declined, and the mansion was eventually destroyed by fire in 1966. Today, only a few buildings survive, including the clock tower, brewhouse and former stables.
As you stand here, it is remarkable to think that this site has been a country house, a cricketing landmark, a military hospital and a place of remembrance.
If you’d like to learn more about the fascinating history of Mount Felix and the people who lived here, additional information can be found on this page.
Your next stop takes you down towards the river and one of Walton’s oldest legends — Cowey Sale, where Julius Caesar is said to have crossed the Thames.
The Story of Mount Felix
Although little remains today, Mount Felix was once one of the most important houses in Walton.
The earliest house is known to have existed by the mid-17th century. In 1713 the estate was purchased by Captain Henry Rodney, father of the future Admiral Lord Rodney, whose birthplace can still be seen on Church Street.
One of the most controversial owners was Samuel Dicker, a wealthy plantation owner who had made his fortune in Jamaica. He became Member of Parliament for Plymouth and, in 1747, secured the Act of Parliament that allowed the first bridge to be built across the Thames at Walton and tolls to be collected.
During the 1770s, the estate passed to the Earl of Tankerville, one of cricket’s great patrons. He sat on the committee that helped formulate the early Laws of Cricket. His gardener, Edward “Lumpy” Stevens, became one of the game’s greatest bowlers. In 1775, Stevens bowled three balls through the gap between the two stumps without dismissing the batsman, leading directly to the introduction of the third stump. His gravestone can still be seen at St Mary’s Church.
In 1836, the next Earl of Tankerville commissioned Sir Charles Barry to rebuild Mount Felix. Barry would later design the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge. His Italianate mansion at Mount Felix became a precursor to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
The estate later belonged to Ann Ingram, widow of the founder of the *Illustrated London News*. The surviving gate pillars still carry the Ingram family coat of arms. In 1898, Mount Felix was purchased by John Mason Cook of the Thomas Cook travel family.
At the outbreak of the First World War, the government requisitioned the house. By late 1914, more than 1,200 British troops were billeted here. In 1915 the estate was handed over to New Zealand forces, becoming the New Zealand Walton Hospital.
Initially providing 350 beds, additional wooden ward huts increased capacity by another 500 beds. Along with Oatlands Park Hospital, approximately 27,000 New Zealand servicemen were treated here. Seventeen soldiers who died at Mount Felix are commemorated at St Mary’s Church, while New Zealand Avenue and the plaque beside Walton Bridge also preserve the town’s ANZAC connection.
After the First World War, the house again declined. During the Second World War, the ballroom was used as a temporary mortuary following the Vickers bombing raid in 1940, which killed 88 people.
The mansion was sold for redevelopment in 1965 and was destroyed by fire the following year. Today, only the clock tower, brewhouse, former laundry and stables survive, offering a glimpse of one of Walton’s lost great houses.
Did you know?
- Around 27,000 New Zealand soldiers were treated at Mount Felix and Oatlands Park hospitals during the First World War.
- Seventeen New Zealand servicemen who died here are commemorated at St Mary’s Church.
- Walton still celebrates ANZAC Day each April because of its special connection with New Zealand and Australia.
- The estate was once owned by the Earl of Tankerville, an important supporter of early cricket.
- Edward “Lumpy” Stevens, whose bowling helped introduce the third stump to cricket, worked here as a gardener.
- The mansion was rebuilt in the 1830s by Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament.
- During the Second World War, the ballroom was used as a temporary mortuary after the bombing of the Vickers factory at Brooklands.
- The mansion was destroyed by fire in 1966, but the clock tower, brewhouse and former stables still survive.
- The clock mechanism dates from 1772 and is still wound by hand every week.
