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Country houses for sale

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

Penny Churchill

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.

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

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.

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

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.

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

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.

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

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.

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

North Aston Hall (Knight Frank / Savills)

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.