Having your own amphitheatre won’t be near the top of the must-have list for many of us when looking for a new home — but probably only because it’s the sort of thing that you’d never even dream of. Yet the Grade II*-listed Whichford House, standing in five acres of gardens and grounds, includes an outdoor amphitheatre to call your own — one which is regularly used for charity events and the Diva Opera.
The rest of the property is equally enticing. This is an outstanding Cotswold country house in Whichford, a Warwickshire village close to the border with Oxfordshire, six miles from Chipping Norton and seven miles from Shipston-on-Stour. It’s currently for sale through Knight Frank’s country department at a guide price of £6m.
Whichford House was bought by the present owners in 2004 and extensively restored, refurbished and redecorated to become the 7,330sq ft property that it is today.
The house offers accommodation on three floors, including reception and staircase halls, three reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, an orangery and a wine cellar.
There are eight bedrooms and five bathrooms, with the bedrooms currently decorated in a traditional style which really accentuates the house's period features.
The property also comes with a three-bedroom cottage, a coach house with a one-bedroom flat, outbuildings and stables.
The gardens have been twice featured in Country Life (June 1, 1967 and June 9, 2010), and have glorious views of Brailes Hill. They were laid out by James Russell for Rainbird in the 1950s and have been fully restored by the present owners over the past 15 years.
Whichford House was the village rectory until 1954, when the Church of England sold it to the publisher George Rainbird for a reputed £1,400.
Architecturally, the house evolved during the medieval period and in the 17th and 18th centuries. During the Civil War, it was badly damaged by the Roundheads, after the incumbent rector, the Rev James Langston, preached against Cromwell.
The house was repaired in the 17th century and, according to its Historic England listing, further enhanced and enlarged in the 18th century; a stone over the west doorway shows a date of 1662. The Classical Georgian front was begun in the 1740s, but not finally completed until the present owners built the new west wing in 2006.
Whichford House is for sale via Knight Frank at £6m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Credit: Mark Williamson
Down to a tea: The finest teashops in the Cotswolds
When partaking of a piping-hot cup of tea and a crumblingly delicious slice of cake, where better to indulge than
-
Chanel takes a cruise around Lake ComoThe last Chanel collection designed entirely by the atelier has been unveiled on the shores of Lake Como, in Italy.
-
'Tate Modern has exploded the canon of art history, and transformed the public’s relationship with contemporary art'Artwork by Louise Bourgeois and Salvador Dali, among others, will be on display for the Tate Modern gallery's 25th Birthday Weekender event.
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealedNew research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of EnglandCome for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
