Our History

In 1684 a local farmer by the name of Eustace Hooke built Hook House as a home for his new bride. After his death in 1699, his brother William sold the house to a Mr James Fields of Odiham. Within a few short years, the house was being rented by Mr Joseph Russell & Lady Jane Russell, setting the pattern for centuries to come whereby many different owners occupied the house for short periods of time.

Around 1811/12 the Horne family moved to Hook House and ‘bought the place cheap’, as it was supposedly haunted. The family lived there for many years but after the death of John Horne in 1834 the house became too large for the family and they left in 1837.

Hook House can be found on the Tylney Map of 1774 and was afterwards purchased by the Bird family. Elizabeth Bird farmed 15 fields between Reading Road and London Road, Hook. Many of the fields names survive today as road names on the surrounding estates (Hop Garden, Quince Tree etc…)

Sometime around 1871 the Bird family sold Hook House to a landowner by the name of Edmond Robertson. In 1878 The Times Newspaper advertised the sale of the House by Auction. The Barker family were listed as being in residence in 1880 and in 1895 Phillip Francis Morton bought the property.

1899 saw the Playfair’s purchase Hook House. Under their ownership, the house became more involved in the lives of the residents of Hook. William Smoult Playfair and his family are remembered for hosting the local school children’s Empire Day celebrations. In 1903 the house was sold to Mrs. Close who continued the tradition of providing entertainment for the village children at Christmas and on Empire Day.

In 1925 the Hook Women’s branch of the Conservative Association was formed at Hook House. Recent new owners Lt Colonel Henry M Ferrar and his wife held fetes to help raise funds for the party. Hook House was sold once again before the end of the war to the McEwans, following the death of lady Ferrar.

The House was sold to the Todd’s in 1955 who allowed their garden flowers to be used to decorate the local Church. A A Brent succeeded the Todd’s in 1969 and proceeded to convert the servant’s quarters into guest bedrooms, a sign of the changing times in domestic service. Brent sold to John Sanders in 1985 who sold to Mr. and Mrs. AA Bull in 1988.

In 1990 Hook House was opened as a commercial venture. After considerable renovations, Hook House stood proudly as it does today offering accommodation along with conference and function facilities. Mr. and Mrs. Bull sold the House to the Stewart family in 2016 who reopened the doors to the public and once again into the lives of the people of Hook.