WHEN Pusey House came to the market in 2010, the selling agent called it 'one of England's most beautiful houses'. Even allowing for the well-known enthusiasm of estate agents, if you stand on the broad terrace admiring the house's sublimely elegant mid18th-century stone façade, then turn to the view south across tree-framed lawns and lake to the far ridge of the Berkshire Downs, it is hard not to agree. It would seem that the elegance of the house has always been the inspiration for its setting; from the original 18th-century landscape to the garden that was substantially created by Michael and Nicolette Hornby after they purchased Pusey in 1935, as well as the garden that has been rejuvenated since 2015 by the present owners, Richard and Triinu Perlhagen.
Pusey's history is reputed to stretch back more than 1,000 years to the reign of Canute, who, so a charming story suggests, awarded the Pusey family the land east of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse. The King was in the area when a Pusey boy warned him of an ambush. Canute rewarded him by giving the boy a horn and saying he owned all the land over which, when he blew the horn, it could be heard.
Denne historien er fra May 15, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 15, 2024-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
