About Us
The Green represents the result of the family dream of Julian, Claire and Aurelius to offer traditional English hospitality in a fine historical country house.
We have renovated this fine 8-bedroom Regency/Victorian residence and garden, and have furnished it with antiques and some fine portraits of former occupants. It offers our guests an ideal base for enjoying the English countryside and visiting historic homes, gardens and other attractions in Bath, Wiltshire and Somerset.
Brief History
The Green was built sometime before 1697 most likely by a Wiltshire wool merchant. Trowbridge was one of the major wool towns in Britain and wool was one of the mainstays of the national economy – as can be seen if you visit the town museum in The Shires shopping centre. The house was modernised and expanded in the 1820s, and again in the 1860s (in Jacobean style) by leading Trowbridge wool merchant, John Bayfield Clark. It was then described as “a very commodious and substantially built dwelling house … fit for the residence of a genteel family…with a four-stall stable, large coach-house, brewhouse, milk-house and other convenient outhouses and offices; pleasure and kitchen gardens, and four fields of excellent pasture land, in the whole about 20 acres.”
The Green was later bought by international administrator and financier, Sir Vincent Caillard (1856-1930), whose father Judge Camille Caillard, nephew of a Cuban Marquis, owned neighbouring Wingfield House. Among several diplomatic achievements, he restructured the finances of the Ottoman Empire and raised the finance for the Aswan Dam in Egypt, before becoming director of Vickers, Son & Maxim in 1900, one of the world's largest armaments firms at the time. He secured for Vickers the rebuilding of the Turkish fleet in 1914, which ultimately led to the Ottoman Empire entering the war on the side of Germany after the UK government seized two of the ships. Sir Vincent’s second wife, Lady Zoe took to spiritualism and published two books of his thoughts from beyond the grave including: 'A New Conception of Love' (1934), received by means of a so-called communigraph (akin to an Ouija board). We encourage visitors to imagine the variety of conversations which went on among the family and their guests at The Green.
The house stayed in the family until we acquired it in 2018 from Michael Copland-Griffiths, a distinguished chiropractor whose father Lt. Cdr. Charles Copland-Griffiths planted most of the trees in our arboretum.
Living Green
Biomass Boiler: In Month, Year we installed a wood pellet boiler which currently heats the main house and Bramley Cottage.
Woodland planting: So far, we have planted over 200 new trees and shrubs in our woodland and gardens.
Rainwater Harvesting: We are planning to install several tanks on the grounds in the near future.
Recycling: We are trying to use as much recyclable and recycled products as possible. From bamboo toothbrushes (if you have forgotten to bring yours) to brown cardboard (used in the compost).
No Dig Gardening: This method of growing food avoids disturbing the soil through digging, is 100% organic and powered by our homemade compost.
Compost: We currently have 8 “fast” compost bays, one large “slow” compost bay and four leave mulch bays.
Biodigester: Although we are trying to avoid food waste wherever we can, there will always be some food waste. To make the most out of it, we are planning to build a biodigester, which will produce fertiliser (liquid) and methane. The fertiliser will be used for the cut flowers. The gas can be used to either heat the greenhouse in winter or for the gardeners to make a cup of tea.
Bramley soaps: Only natural ingredients, refillable bottles, vegan, cruelty free