John Hugh Smyth-Pigott
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JOHN HUGH SMYTH-PIGOTT |
| John inherited the manorial lordship of Weston-super-Mare on Christmas Day 1823. He encouraged village children to plant trees on the hillside initially to create a private game reserve but, once the trees began to mature, he opened this woodland to the public. He replaced the Medieval St. John's with a new Parish Church and greatly enlarged his residence at Grove House, most of which was destroyed during the Second World War. He also helped to begin changing Weston from a sleepy village to a town of rising middle-class pretension and expectation. |
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| Plaque at Grove House, Grove Park. BS23 2QJ |