Titchfield Abbey was first built in the 13th century as a home for a community of Premonstratensian canons. After the suppression of the monasteries by Henry VIII the abbey was given to Sir Thomas Wriothesley Earl of Southampton who transformed the building into a grand Tudor mansion called Place House.

Central to Wriothesley's new domain were 11 manors and 5,000 acres surrounding Titchfield Abbey. Royal guests at the house included Edward VI, Elizabeth I and Charles I. On the death of 4th Earl of Southampton Titchfield passed through a number of families until 1781 when most of the buildings were demolished.