Adrian Phillips, in the book The Warminster Trail, published by Aris & Phillips Ltd. for the Warminster Festival in 1989, noted:
Church Street, Warminster . . . . . Further on from Westdown is the other classical brick facade of Ivy House. This house has a long and interesting history.
The site was occupied by another member of the Wansey family called George (1651-1707) but it is not known if he built the present house which may have been built by his family in the 1790s.
It is supposed to be the scene of a well-known incident that took place in the Civil War to a John Wansey when “Two of King Charles men came into his house and insulted him, behaving very rudely; on which he sent to his Barn for his threshers to come down. They both fell on the King’s men and beat them soundly.” Fearing reprisals he rode off to join the Parliamentary forces; a not unlikely tale as the Wanseys were well-known Parliamentarians.
The Wanseys left this house when Henry Wansey built Sambourne House. Paintings of Warminster by one of his daughters have recently come to light and been on display in the Athenaeum.
This house [Ivy House] now belongs to St. Denys Convent and is used as a retreat hostel.