History
Grittleton House was built in the middle of the nineteenth century by J. Neeld who was M.P. for Chippenham. He was the great-nephew of Philip Rundell (of Rundell & Bridge) the silversmith who died in 1828 and left nearly a million pounds to his great-nephew, then aged thirty-nine. Joseph Neeld married the daughter of Lord Shaftesbury, but the marriage went spectacularly wrong from the very start. This scandal is nearly all that is publicly known about him. He was made M.P. for Chippenham in 1830 having become Lord of the Manor by purchase. The original Grittleton Manor House was destroyed by fire and on its site J. Neeld, who was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, built his palatial mansion to house his important collection of sculptures and other art treasures.
The style is Victorian Gothic-revival with a classical Italian interior of graceful arches, imposing proportions and richly decorated ceilings. Neeld was a great local benefactor who also built the attractive houses of Grittleton and Alderton villages.
Joseph Neeld died before the present house was completed and his brother John Neeld, who succeeded him, finished the rebuilding. John had six sons so it seemed safe to assume that the family name would endure. All six sons, however, died without children, the last one being Sir Audley, who died in 1941, aged 94.
The property passed to the male descendants of Joseph's daughter who had married William Inigo-Jones, the famous architect.
The ownership of Grittleton House passed to the present owners, the Shipp family in 1973. The Shipp Family have established a successful Independent School within the Manor House , whilst outside of school hours utilising the building and grounds for private functions.