History of the House

Situated in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, Kingshill House is an elegant Georgian mansion that dates back to 1705. For the next 230 years it was lived in by generations of families and also provided much needed employment to the surrounding community.

The house and grounds were sold at auction in 1935 to the engineering company R A Lister and the house given to Dursley Rural District Council to be used as its offices. The house was later used by Stroud District Council. The grounds were used to build the houses that still surround Kingshill House today. During the Second World War Kingshill House was used as the local ARP Warden’s Headquarters, issuing essentials such as gas masks.

Despite the house receiving Grade II* listed status in 1952, by 1990 the once magnificent house was derelict, with boarded up windows, blackened walls and a shabby interior.

But its potential was not lost on a group of dedicated volunteers from local amateur drama group the Dursley Operatic and Dramatic Society who worked tirelessly to bring the house back to life.

Kingshill House Ltd is now a charity run by a team of enthusiastic staff. As well as operating as an arts centre we offer room hire, whether for business meetings or parties, in elegant rooms named after the families who once lived here.