Hi, Karen, There is a booklet called "The Country Houses of Southampton" by Jessica Vale, which should be available at the Civic Centre library, and which has some info about it, summarised as: - 238 acres, built in the late 1840s for Sir Edward Butler, at one time the chairman of the Southampton and Salisbury Railway Company - bought c1887 by Edwin Jones, founder of Southampton drapery store (the present Debenhams store used to be called Edwin Jones) - gutted by fire in 1915, at that time the home of the widow of Edwin Jones; not rebuilt - the estate sold in 1917, and developed in the late 1940s Hope this helps. Sara ----- Original Message ----- From: <Likesgenealogy@aol.com> To: <ENG-SOUTHAMPTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2004 8:31 AM Subject: Harefield House, Bitterne > Hi folks > Does anyone know anything about Harefield House, the ruins of the house are > in the grounds of the Infant and junior schools on Yeovil Chase? (Overgorwn > area just on the ouskirt of the school fields) I'd love to find out more as I > have just got a job at the junior school, and would love to get the children > involved in a little bit of local history, and maybe some amateur archaeology etc. > Many thanks > Karen > > ______________________________