The Hampshire home of a Victoria Cross-winning British WWI ace fighter pilot is for sale, with lake, chapel and some of the best fishing rights in England

In north Hampshire, the village and civil parish of Longparish, four miles from Whitchurch and seven miles from Winchester, derives its name — first used in the mid 16th century — from a nickname for the historic ‘long parish’ of Middleton, which comprised the hamlets of Middleton, East Aston, West Aston and Forton and stretched for four miles along the north-west bank of the Test, England’s premier fly-fishing river.

This is the charmed spot where you'll find Longparish House, which‚ along with 122 acres of land — is up for sale via Savills at £16.75 million.

Originally built as a ‘small sporting box’ in the mid 17th century, Longparish House was altered and extended in the late 19th century by the Hawker family, whose most famous member was Colonel Peter Hawker. He served under Wellington during the Peninsular War, but was forced to resign his commission when seriously wounded at the Battle of Talavera in July 1809.

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Hawker went on to become a celebrated diarist, author and country sportsman, deemed one of the great shots of the 19th century. One of his celebrated descendants shared that skill: First World War flying ace Major Lanoe Hawker, who was born at Longparish House in December 1890.

Hawker joined the RFC early in the war, pioneered many engineering and tactical improvements to the early fighter planes, and won a Victoria Cross for shooting down three enemy aircraft in a single mission. He was eventually killed in November 1916, shot down by Manfred von Richthofen — the Red Baron himself.

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In 1919, Major General Guy Payan Dawnay bought Longparish House and estate, which remained in his family until 1989, except during the Second World War, when the house was occupied by the Bank of England.

Built in the style of a French château, Longparish House stands on high ground overlooking its gardens, parkland, woodland and pasture to the north and south of the river, which meanders gently through the 123-acre estate. It was last offered for sale in 2017, when the house was said to be in need ‘of some cosmetic refurbishment' — a significant understatement, given the work undertaken by the current owners, who bought the estate in 2019.

During their tenure, an extensive and sympathetic programme of renovations has been carried out by the present custodians, which, according to Mr Holborow, ‘showcases the marriage of period design with time-honoured craftsmanship. As a result, the next owners of this wonderful house will only need to unpack their bags and move in’.

In its present incarnation, Longparish House has more than 15,000sq ft of luxurious accommodation on three floors, with entrance and rear halls, four main reception rooms, a study, state-of-the-art kitchen and two cloakrooms on the ground floor.

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There is a vast principal bedroom suite — 27ft long, with a huge bay window and two dressing rooms — plus four further suites on the first floor.

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A study and laundry room are at mezzanine level, while four further bedrooms (three with bathrooms en suite) plus a family bathroom on the second floor.

The lower ground floor houses a billiard room, snug, games room, pub, darts room, wine store, utility and boiler room.

Further accommodation is available in the three-storey Tower annexe, three refurbished cottages and the two-room chapel. Sporting amenities include a pool and pool house, a thatched fishing hut, tennis court and 1,017m (3,336ft) of fishing on the River Test.

Stabling is provided in a beautifully designed, brick stable and garage courtyard commissioned by the owners, with a fully-fitted office suite on the first floor.

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The land at Longparish comprises 47 acres of arable farmed by a contractor under an agreement that expires in February 2026, 27 acres of pasture grazed by the owners’ livestock and 35 acres of woodland, which includes a mix of deciduous native species.

Longparish House is for sale via Savills at £16.75 million — see more details.