The most expensive country house of 2018 has just hit the market, complete with its own petting zoo

North Aston Hall, just outside Oxford, has everything you ever dreamed of – and quite a few things that probably never occurred to you.

The most expensive country property to be put up for sale this year has just come to the open market: the magnificent, Grade II-listed North Aston Hall and its immaculate 194-acre estate on the banks of the River Cherwell, for sale at a guide price of £28 million.

The house, located 16 miles from Oxford, 74 miles from central London and just six miles from the ever-popular Soho Farmhouse, is listed via both Knight Frank and Savills. It’s a 14,500sq ft, Jacobethan-style mansion, built in the late 1700s by John Yenn, remodelled in about 1867 and extensively refurbished in recent years to provide a remarkable blend of state-of-the-art facilities and architectural splendour.

Approached along a mile-long drive that winds through the estate and surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens, the house offers luxurious accommodation on five floors.

There are six reception rooms, an orangery, an 18th-century wine cellar, a 2,500sq ft master suite and 10 further bedroom suites.

There is also a roof terrace with a conservatory, offering outstanding views over the Cherwell Valley. The gardens are also breathtakingly pretty, with separate, formally-laid out north and south lawns featuring extravagant hedging, planting and some striking water features.

If standing and taking in the view is a little too sedate for you, there are endless opportunities for amusement at Aston. There’s an entire leisure complex which includes an indoor/outdoor swimming-pool, a billiard room and a tennis court.

For something even more adventurous, there are two adventure playgrounds, a petting zoo – yes, really – and a riverside treehouse fully kitted out so that you eat and sleep within.

Beyond the main house and grounds there are several extra buildings included, among them a coach house,  garaging and four separate guest houses – there are a total of 19 further bedrooms, and 35,000 sq ft in all.

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