MID January saw the launch onto the market, for the first time in almost 50 years, of imposing Georgian Purton House, with 30 acres of land at Church End, Purton, on the Gloucestershire/Wiltshire border, 14 miles south of Cirencester and five miles west of Swindon station. Selling agent Charles Elsmore-Wickens of Savills in Oxford (01865 339702) quotes a guide price of £2.75 million for the much-loved home of the Barkers, whose parents bought the house almost 50 years ago.
There has been a house of importance on the site since medieval times, when Purton was part of the vast land holdings of Malmesbury Abbey, much of which was leased to wealthy tenants. Church End stands on a limestone ridge, which provided a ready supply of good building stone and, for centuries, the rent from a substantial house called Chamberlains (later Purton House) funded the office of the abbey’s chamberlain.
Following the Dissolution in 1539, the Crown granted the manor of Purton to Sir Edmund Bridges, later 2nd Lord Chandos, who rebuilt the manor house and, in 1669, sold Chamberlains and its surrounding land to Francis Goddard. Goddard was succeeded there by his sons, Edward and Anthony, and his grandson, Richard, whose only daughter married Capt Robert Wilsonn RN. The Goddards modernised the house, laid out the grounds and created an ornamental lake from the medieval fish ponds.
Denne historien er fra February 14, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 14, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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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
