A glorious country house in the Cotswolds which comes with its own amphitheatre
Whichford House would be a beautiful period home in any setting, but its magical five acres of gardens – including an outdoor areana – make it all the more special, as Penny Churchill reports.


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.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
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
-
Tim Burton is selling the house he shared with Helena Bonham-Carter, a sublime home on the Thames that comes with three private islands
Mill House in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, might just be the perfect English country home.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
Puffins and shearwaters, skuas and terns, gannets and gulls and guillemots and wings, these are a few of our favourite things (seabirds)
From a heroic long-distance swimmer to a producer of spectacularly eerie sound effects, the seabirds seen swooping and diving over British waters have all manner of singular skills.
By John Lewis-Stempel Published
-
Tim Burton is selling the house he shared with Helena Bonham-Carter, a sublime home on the Thames that comes with three private islands
Mill House in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, might just be the perfect English country home.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
A spectacular tower for sale that's a blend of Victorian folly, architectural marvel and 21st century family home
Hadlow Tower has space, and a back story of love, jealousy and intrigue.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A spectacular, light-filled home on the Isle of Wight where you can see the water from practically every window
Penny Churchill takes a look at the grand and impressive Fishbourne Quay House.
By Penny Churchill Last updated
-
The former stables — and recording studio for the Pet Shop Boys — transformed with a magical blend of city and country aesthetic, now seeking a new owner
In the heart of Clerkenwell, what was once a Victorian industrial unit is now a beautiful home.
By Toby Keel Last updated
-
The Good Life 2025? A development promising 'Britain's greenest homes' blends zero carbon, organic allotments and a touch of luxury in the Kent countryside
Hartdene Barns, sitting on a disused dairy farm in Kent, is a vision of what sustainable living one day mean for all of us.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
Breathtaking views and gardens that run down to the water's edge at this delightful home in Cornwall
The Garden House in Polruan sums up the appeal of waterside living. Penny Churchill steps inside.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
A 500-acre estate that spent 11 centuries in the same family, for sale for only the second time in its history
In the beautiful hills of north Wales the Garthewin estate has come up for sale, including a great country house once restored by the architect who created Portmeirion. Penny Churchill takes a closer look.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
'The city has always held an important creative space within our design studio': A luxury townhouse in Tokyo, courtesy of Aston Martin
A new four-storey property in the Omotesandō district is the first single home private residence by the British ultra-luxury performance brand.
By James Fisher Published