CLIVE HOPKINS of Knight Frank’s farms and estates department is overseeing the simultaneous launch onto the market of two of the most picturesque country estates in the Chilterns: the 477-acre Burrow Farm estate, set in the Hambleden Valley, Buckinghamshire, and the 285-acre Beech Farm estate, near Woodcote in south Oxfordshire.
The sales follow the recent deaths of the both the estates’ former owners—David Palmer of Burrow Farm and Maj Sir David Black of Beech Farm—both of whom were champions of the countryside with a keen interest in local affairs, serving as High Sheriffs of their respective counties in 1993. Both were aged 92 when they died, Palmer in 2019, and Sir David in May of this year.
Born the son of an army officer in 1926, Palmer served with the Life Guards in Palestine, Egypt and Germany before leaving the army for a successful career as a broker, partner and eventual chairman of international insurers Willis Faber, which sprang to fame for having insured RMS Titanic. In 1978, Palmer and his wife, Millie, bought Burrow Farm, which has a fine, Grade II-listed manor house built over three periods, the earliest being the 16th-century Tudor wing to the west, which is connected to a 17th-century brick-and-flint extension and a later post-war wing.
Next to Burrow Farm House stands the impressive, Grade II-listed Chiltern barn, thought to date from the 15th century. A huge, 65ft-long entertaining space with a two-bedroom annexe at the far end, it has been the scene of many a memorable gathering during the Palmer family’s tenure.
Denne historien er fra July 21, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 21, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
