John Halliday, in a hardback exercise book he titled Warminster Notes, in which he compiled various handwritten notes about Warminster and district for local history slide shows he was giving during the 1980s, included the following newspaper cutting:
15th January 1982. Wren House Offers Homely Care.
The same week that Henford House made its debut in the luxury retirement home business, a more modest enterprise opened its doors in Warminster’s Vicarage Street.
Auxiliary nurse Mrs. Anne Twinn and her husband, Roger, are the new owners of Wren House, and they have converted its elegant 18th century rooms to provide accommodation for a maximum of eleven elderly residents.
The couple moved to Warminster from Downton, near Salisbury, in the autumn, and Mr. Twinn is a director of the Downton Tanning Company. Mrs. Twinn has six years nursing home experience and latterly joined the staff of Salisbury’s New Hall private hospital.
They have created six suites at Wren House, each with its private bathroom. Five are big enough to accommodate married couples, and weekly rates vary from £100 to £140 a week.
A Grade II listed building, particularly notable for its staircase, its vaulted cellars and its claim to the Wren pedigree, the house joins a fast-growing list of local mansions adapted to cater for the district’s ageing population.
As well as Henford House, they include Longbridge Deverill House and Sutton Veny House.
Mrs. Twinn says that when she and her husband began their search for an adaptable property, they were determined to find somewhere within easy reach of shops and town amenities.
They are also keen to promote the friendly and relatively intimate atmosphere of their new home.