Learn about this remarkable building
This may look like a very ordinary building, but it has a fascinating history— the birthplace of modern conservation.
The house was built in the 1950s for WWT Slimbridge founder, conservationist, artist and broadcaster Sir Peter Scott who lived here with his family for over 30 years. Unusually, it was a designed specifically to be looked out of rather than to be looked at—a large downstairs studio features a picture window overlooks one of Sir Peter’s favourite views of the Rushy Lake.
From the beginning the house and connected buildings needed to serve several functions—to provide a family home, space for scientific studies, ample room from which to run Slimbridge Wetland Centre and to accommodate Sir Peter’s ongoing work as an artist. Calling the building Peter Scott’s House is an inadequate description of its many essential and diverse uses.
The architect was Peter Bicknell (1907-1995), who had been a friend of Sir Peter’s since they met studying at the University of Cambridge. Sir Peter was closely involved in the design process and provided a flow of ‘bright ideas’ which were realised by the architect’s expertise and technical skill.
The inspiration for the studio window came from a glass-enclosed veranda Sir Peter had seen in Quebec in 1938. This veranda had allowed him to marvel at snow geese in their thousands at close range. As a result, the studio window was designed to sit next to a pond to replicate this experience so he could study the birds with his sketchbook by the window. This studio was later used as the set for some of Sir Peter’s television broadcasts.
Sir Peter’s first adult home had been a lighthouse which inspired a later addition to the building. When he was awarded the International Pahlavi Environment prize in 1977 he pledged a majority of the prize money to conservation causes but put the remainder towards building his observation tower, which can be enjoyed by visitors to Bewick’s Lodge today. The tower remains one of the most distinctive features of the building. The view reaches from the Slimbridge wetlands to the far side of the River Severn and the Forest of Dean.
For those intrigued by the history of the building and Sir Peter there are regular free tours of Scott House. You can experience the main ground floor rooms of the house and discover Sir Peter’s achievements as a conservationist, painter and sportsman.
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Or you can book a luxury stay at Bewick’s Lodge and enjoy the views from Sir Peter's observation tower. Many of Sir Peter's artworks hang on the walls and visitors can experience a sense of history from details such as the original labels in Sir Peter’s wardrobe and wallpaper created from his Bewick’s swan studies.
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