IT takes years of careful planning, investment and land management—not to mention a large slice of luck—to establish a successful stud farm. This the late Christopher Spence, a former merchant banker, senior steward of the Jockey Club and shrewd owner-breeder, achieved with some style at the stud farm he founded at his home, Chieveley Manor, near Newbury, Berkshire, in the early 1980s. Spence died, aged 84, in September 2021 and was described in his Racing Post obituary as ‘a racing grandee’ and ‘a pivotal figure who transformed the administration of racing’. The first good horse to carry his emerald-green and black colours was Frontier Goddess, who won the Yorkshire Oaks in 1969 and was sold to Texas oil tycoon Nelson Bunker Hunt as a broodmare. A decade later, Spence hit the jackpot with the purchase of Hot Spice, a filly from the same family as Frontier Goddess. She produced several winners, including the quirky stayer, Celeric, who raced for seven seasons, winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 1997, as well as two Lonsdale Cups, a Jockey Club Cup, Yorkshire Cup, Sagaro Stakes and Northumberland Plate.
Although no longer run as a stud farm, Chieveley Manor offers much that the most ambitious sporting family might dream of. The immaculate small country estate is now for sale, either as a whole or in two lots, through Ed Sugden of Savills Country Department (020–7409 8885) and Lindsay Cuthill’s Blue Book Agency (07967 555545).
Denne historien er fra October 04, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 04, 2023-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
