SAVILLS has set the pace with the launch onto the market of secluded, Grade II-listed Donnington Castle House, which stands in some 24 acres of gardens, paddocks and woodland next to the picturesque ruins of medieval Donnington Castle in Donnington village, two miles north of Newbury, Berkshire. Crispin Holborow of Savills country department (020-7409 8881) seeks 'offers in excess of $9 million' for the gracious, 14,359sq ft main house with its coach house, cottages and buildings set in spectacular Jekyll-style gardens-all beautifully restored by the present owners during their 13year tenure.
According to Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History, Donnington Castle was acquired in 1632 by the Parliamentarian John Packer of Shellingford Castle. During the 2nd Battle of Newbury in 1644, the castle was held by the Royalists, but, following a long and bitter siege, was described as 'ruinous' when the Parliamentarians eventually retook it in March 1646.
The castle and its land were handed back to Packer and, by 1648, he had begun to build Donnington Castle House on the site of a former steward's lodge, using some materials from the old castle, although the house is essentially of brick. The original and oldest part of the building faces south and contains the wood-panelled reception rooms, central oak staircase and cellars. Later additions include the north-east wing, which overlooks the croquet lawn and is thought to date from the late 17th century.
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2024 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2024 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
