The Tern Valley Trail

Wellington's 'Quality Row'

Wellington's 'Quality Row'

Until the early 19th Century, Vineyard Road and the area of Springhill stretching to the junction of Admaston Road were known as Mansion House Lane. Many of Wellington’s wealthiest and most influential families lived in this area and a number of the fine properties they inhabited still stand as a reminder of the grandeur once associated with this exclusive Wellington address.

Mansion House Lane

In its days as Mansion House Lane, Vineyard Road began at the north end of Church Street. In the early 1970s the road was extended to its present junction with King Street. Although there are several large properties in the area, the mansion house from which the street took its name was probably the distinctive white Georgian building that stands above Springhill roundabout. ‘The Vineyard’ appears to have been finished in 1721, when the exterior of the property was ‘painted-in’ for its first owner St John Charlton Chiverton Charlton, the naval officer and owner of the nearby Apley Castle estate who was responsible for its construction.

The Vineyard

Vineyard-Road

The Vineyard is now a private property and has been largely obscured from view by modern development within its grounds, which were formerly far larger than today. In 1841, the house and its extensive range of outbuildings, offices and gardens, covered over 5 acres and included a large ornamental pool to the rear of the property. There were at least three driveways onto the estate, which also contained twelve acres of meadow and pasture to the north west of the house itself.

The-Vineyard

The Charlton family appear to have sold the house sometime after 1840 and several prominent local figures have since occupied it. Among them was TC Eyton, who lived at The Vineyard in 1851 with his wife, children and a staff of 12 servants. Eyton was a well-known naturalist and produced a number of well known titles on the subject of ornithology. He also had a number of local business interests and it was his companies that were responsible for supplying Wellington with water and gas during the Victorian era.