Another chapter in the long history of Castle Malwood begins this month with the sale of the nineteenth century property to Triangle Computer Services.

Originally the site of a military beacon sitting on a hill overlooking The Solent and the Isle of Wight. Built between 1802 - 1840, Castle Malwood in Minstead near Lyndhurst was originally the home of Colonel Thomas William Robbins. He had a distinguished military career, which included fighting at Quartre Bras under the Duke of Wellington, and Waterloo in 1815. He died at Castle Malwood in 1864.

In 1892 Mr Charles Hill, a retired rubber plantation owner, bought it after returning from Malaysia. His influence can be seen on the property as he extended it and inscribed the Malaysian word for 'welcome' above the front porch, which is still there today.

In 1910, Daniel Hanbury, one of the directors of Allen and Hann, makers of baby food products, bought the estate. The house and the grounds benefited from Hanbury's ownership as the building was wired for electricity and a cricket pitch and tennis courts were created. He was quite an illustrious character and built a motorboat at Castle Malwood to compete in the British Trophy: he also had one of the first Rolls Royce 'Silver Ghost' cars.

During Second World War, the house was used for refugee children under the management Dr Barnado's.

In 1948 Castle Malwood and the grounds were sold to The Electricity Board, Southern Electric, who used the property as offices until the current sale to Triangle Computer Services.

Michael Green from international property firm King Sturge dealt with the sale on behalf of Scottish and Southern Electric. Commenting on the sale he said, "It was a rare opportunity to deal with an office building steeped in history. The combination of 19th century Castle occupied by a 21st century hi-tech company is an intriguing one, and demonstrates that old buildings can be revitalised to survive in a changing world.

Castle Malwood comprises a basement, ground floor and first floor totallling 985 sq m and is set in 0.89 hectares (2.2 acres).