The first house on the site, on the southwest outskirts of South Tidworth, was well established when it was purchased by Thomas Smith in 1650. The estate passed to his grandson,
John Smith (1656–1723), who became
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and then to his son
Thomas who died unmarried soon after in 1728. It was inherited (together with the
Vaynol Park estate in Wales) by Thomas Assheton (d.1774) of
Ashley Hall, Cheshire, nephew of Captain William Smith, another of John Smith's sons. Assheton added Smith to his name, and his son
Thomas Assheton Smith (1752–1828) was MP for
Caernarvonshire and later for
Andover. After his death his son, also
Thomas (1776–1858), a keen foxhunter who at one time kept 200 hounds, moved here with his horses and hounds. He had the house rebuilt in ornate classical style in 1828
–1830. The estate was acquired in 1877 by
Sir John Kelk, 1st Baronet, a civil engineering contractor, who carried out extensive restructuring in 1878–80. In 1911 the house stood in of grounds, described as a "well wooded park". which was officially opened in May 2013 by
Prince Harry and
Prince William. Alterations had included the building of a three-storey accommodation block. In 2021, the recovery centre was said to be run by the Ministry of Defence. == Associated buildings ==