Cheltenham · Hatherley Road · GL51 6DX
PolefieldHouse
A baronet's residence, preserved in stone & silence since the 1850s
Est. 1850s
Victorian Villa — Cheltenham — Share of Freehold
Descend
1850s
Year Built
8
Apartments
999
Year Lease
170+
Years of History
A residence of consequence, since the 1850s
The Residence
Property Overview
Classification
Victorian Villa
A substantial detached villa purpose-built in the 1850s on land from the historic Hatherley Court estate. The largest house in its cluster of fine Victorian villas fronting onto Westal Green. Later converted to apartments, preserving the grandeur of the original architecture.
Ownership
Share of Freehold
Held on a 999-year lease dating from 1955. Freehold managed through Polefield House Limited (Companies House no. 01225077) — a residents' management company ensuring collective stewardship of this heritage building.
£120
per month service charge (approx.)
Distinction
The Grandest of Its Kind
Described as "bigger than both the other houses put together" — the largest of the cluster of substantial Victorian villas. Reportedly contained the largest private ballroom in Cheltenham, a testament to the scale and ambition of its original design.
Amenities
Shared Facilities
Communal gardens with mature landscaping. En-bloc garages and allocated residents' parking. Private storage rooms accessible from the communal hallway. A community of residents invested in the building's preservation and character.
Architectural Heritage
Victorian Grandeur
Established Grounds
Through the centuries
A Chronicle in Stone
1841
Genesis
Pearson Thompson's property empire collapses. The Hatherley Court estate is sold, its grounds carved into building plots for high-class villas. The land that will become Polefield enters private hands.
1850s
Construction
Polefield rises at the junction of Hatherley Road and Lansdown Road — the grandest villa in the Westal Green cluster, dwarfing its neighbours Nubie House and Elm Lodge. A private ballroom of legendary proportions takes shape within its walls.
1881
The Golden Era
The census records Sir Robert Keith Alexander Dick-Cunyngham, double baronet, decorated war hero, and Scottish land owner, as head of the Polefield household — a family of eight attended by eight live-in servants.
1920s
Transition
The era of the grand private residence wanes. Polefield briefly reinvents itself as a hotel, its grand rooms and ballroom finding new purpose welcoming guests rather than hosting a single family.
c. 1955
Transformation
The house is divided into private apartments, each on a 999-year lease. Five additional houses are built in the former grounds. The building enters its modern chapter — multiple homes within one historic shell.
2025
Present Day
Polefield endures, 170 years on, within Cheltenham's Central Conservation Area. A community of residents stewarding a baronet's legacy through Polefield House Limited.
"Bigger than both the other houses put together" — the largest private ballroom in Cheltenham echoed within these walls
From the historical record
The bloodline
The Dick-Cunyngham Legacy
⚔
"Via tuta virtutis"
THE SAFE WAY OF VIRTUE — Family Motto
The Patriarch
Sir Robert Keith Alexander Dick-Cunyngham
Born 21 December 1836 — Died 2 May 1897. Holder of two simultaneous baronetcies: 9th Baronet Dick of Prestonfield (cr. 1707) and 7th Baronet of the 1669 Nova Scotia creation. His ancestral seat was the famed Prestonfield House, Edinburgh; Polefield served as the family's English residence.
Military Service
93rd Highlanders
Decorated officer of the 93rd Highlanders. Fought at the Capture of Lucknow, November 1857 — one of the most famous actions of the Indian Mutiny — where he was wounded in combat. Awarded the Indian medal with clasp. His census occupation: "Baronet Magistrate Land Owner."
Wife
Sarah Mary Hetherington — only daughter of William Hetherington of Birkenhead, Cheshire. Married 30 March 1864. Together they raised six children at Polefield, attended by a staff of eight live-in servants.
The Six Children
William Stewart
b. 20 Feb 1871 — Later 8th/10th Baronet
Robert Henry
b. 26 Sept 1875
James Keith
b. 28 Mar 1877
Georgina Maud Mary
b. 1866
Wilhelmina Susan
b. 1868
Charlotte Alice
Birth date unknown
🏆
Victoria Cross — Family Honour
The Dick-Cunyngham family produced a Victoria Cross recipient: William Henry Dick-Cunyngham, believed to be Sir Robert's brother. He won the VC on 13 December 1879 during the attack on the Sherpur Pass, Afghanistan (Second Anglo-Afghan War), serving as a lieutenant in the Gordon Highlanders. The highest military decoration for valour in the British honours system.
The double baronetcy became extinct in 1941 when the 9th Baronet, Sir Colin Keith Dick-Cunyngham (1908–1941), died leaving no heir. The family line lives on through this house.
A baronet's legacy, enduring in Cheltenham stone
The residences
Living at Polefield
The Building
Eight Private Apartments
Polefield House was converted into eight private apartments circa 1955, each held on a 999-year lease — effectively running to the year 2954. The conversion preserved the grandeur of the original Victorian architecture while creating distinct residences across the building's multiple storeys.
999
year lease — as close to perpetuity as English law allows
Stewardship
Share of Freehold
Collectively managed through Polefield House Limited (Companies House no. 01225077). Residents hold a share of the freehold, ensuring the building's future remains in the hands of those who call it home.
Conservation Protected
Cheltenham Regency
Enduring Stonework
Protected grounds
Conservation Status
Central Conservation Area — Active
Protected Heritage
Polefield sits within Cheltenham's Central Conservation Area, which is divided into 19 character areas. The building lies on the boundary between the Lansdown and Dean Close & Hatherley Park character areas — each with its own adopted Character Appraisal & Management Plan.
As a mid-Victorian villa built on a former Lansdown-estate plot, Polefield most probably falls within the Lansdown character area, which explicitly includes later 19th-century development to the west and north-west.
What This Means for You
Interior works — internal alterations are unaffected by conservation controls. Your home, your choices.
External changes — window replacement, roof works, satellite dishes, or street-facing alterations may require conservation-area consent. The building is not individually listed, but an Article 4 Direction may apply. Always check with Cheltenham Borough Council before external works.
The benefit — conservation status protects your investment. It ensures the architectural character of the area is preserved, maintaining property values and the historic streetscape.
An invitation
Begin Your Chapter
170 years of heritage. A baronet's residence. A ballroom's echo. History, preserved in stone.
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