| Date | 18 May 2012 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0034 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Hidden riverside retreat
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RAY Lodge is a hidden architectural gem near to the River Thames now obscured by buildings which surround it on all sides.
Its former occupants include 18th-century mariners, artists, and 19th-century astronomers and aristocrats.
The house was built in 1770 for Sir Isaac Pocock, a Sea Captain who played an important role in the American War of Independence.
In February 1784, he married Ann Brown of Cookham and after retiring from active service, settled down with her in Northamptonshire, where he later became High Sheriff, and was knighted.
In his later years, Pocock built a house in the parish of Cookham, near to Maidenhead Bridge, which was to become Ray Lodge.
Isaac Pocock was renowned locally for saving Cookham’s commons from enclosure and Lady Pocock presented an organ to St Mary’s Church in 1817. In 1810, Sir Isaac suffered a heart attack and died while punting on the Thames, near his home. He was buried in Cookham Church, where there is a monument to him by the neo classical sculptor John Flaxman.
The house was then occupied by his son Nicholas, a well-known marine artist from Bristol.
In 1865, the house was taken over by William Lassell, a famous astronomer who discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune in 1848.
Lassell was made a fellow of the Royal Society in 1849 and built an observatory in Malta.
Lassell, who returned to England in the 1860s and took up residence at Ray Lodge where he built an observatory, died there in 1880. His telescope was presented to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
The house was then occupied by aristocrats, including the Grenfell family.
The estate surrounding the house was broken up in 1910 and by 1932 it had been divided up into flats.
A stone outside Barclay’s bank marks the site of the gatehouse to the mansion.
Lassell Gardens, originally part of Ray Lodge gardens, was redeveloped in 1937.
IN HONOUR: Left, a memorial to Sir Isaac Pocock in Cookham Church. Sir Pocock built a house near Maidenhead Bridge, which became Ray Lodge. Sir Pocock died in 1810 while punting on the Thames. FORMER OWNER: Right, Astronomer William Lassell, who lived at Ray Lodge until his death in 1880.
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