Across the Solent on the Isle of Wight, the village and civil parish of Whippingham and its Grade I-listed St Mildred’s Church are best known for their connections with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He reputedly helped to redesign the church, which was built, according to its Historic England listing, between 1854 and 1862 by Albert Jenkins Humbert, the architect of Sandringham House in Norfolk.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House and Barton Manor in 1845, and Whippingham village became the centre of the royal estate. The Queen took a close interest in ‘her people’ in Whippingham and the farms, school, almshouses and cottages were rebuilt when they became a part of the Osborne estate. St Mildred's has long been at the heart of the community, and now the third-finest home in the area — behind Osborne and Barton Manor, of course — is for sale: Padmore House and its mini-estate of 15 acres, which was once the home of Queen Victoria's chaplain.
The property is for sale at £3.5 million via Strutt & Parker and local agents Spence Willard, who will also split it into three lots. Lot 1 consists of the Grade II-listed Padmore House itself, located less than a mile from Osborne House and home to the Queen’s island chaplain for a period from 1841, which is on the open market at a guide price of £2.5m.
Acquired by the present owners in 2011, elegant Padmore House has undergone extensive renovation and refurbishment to create a spacious family home that is finished to an impeccable standard and also enjoys lovely countryside and river views, together with established gardens and grounds of about 15 acres.
In all, the house provides 5,660sq ft of supremely comfortable family accommodation on three floors, including a reception hall, three main reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room and utilities on the ground floor.
Stepping inside it's a joy to discover that this is not the sort of dusty old building you'd imagine of a Victorian vicarage. Instead, it's a joyous home, full of charm, colour and life, and decorated with period touches which bring the building's history to life. We'd love to think the new owners will keep it in the same style.
Lot 2, The Long House, is for sale at £975,000, and is a stylish six-bedroom conversion of a building constructed by Samuel Saunders in the 1920s to house early motor cars with chauffeur’s accommodation.
Lot 3, on offer at £50,000, is not a house, but rather a holding: The Vegetable Garden extends to almost half an acre and includes a wide range of vegetable and fruit trees, plus a greenhouse and stores.
Spread across the two upper floors you'll find a study, principal bedroom suite, six further bedrooms and three further bath/shower rooms.
Padmore House is for sale via Strutt & Parker — see more details.
-
Items from the collection of Lady Glenconner are going under the hammer, including a nine-carat gold Cartier box gifted to her by Elizabeth II‘I have had such great pleasure living with these wonderful objects, each telling their own fascinating story.’
-
Five home offices so good that every work day will feel like a holiday (well, probably)Five years on from the Pandemic, millions of us are still working from home much of the time — and thus the appeal of a home office is as strong as ever. They don't much nicer than these.
-
Five home offices so good that every work day will feel like a holiday (well, probably)
Five years on from the Pandemic, millions of us are still working from home much of the time — and thus the appeal of a home office is as strong as ever. They don't much nicer than these.
-
A grand country house and 329-acre estate for sale at £1.89 million — and it's on the market for the first time in a quarter of a millenniumArabella Youens takes a look at the beautiful Monreith House and Estate on the south-west coast of Scotland.
-
A beautiful home on the outskirts of one of Scotland's prettiest market towns, and an easy commute to EdinburghArabella Youens looks at Kirklands House, a wonderful old home set in five acres of charming gardens near Melrose.
-
18 grand country homes, from £600k to £6 million, as seen in Country LifeOur regular look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week include a house in a charming seaside village and a 17th century farmhouse.
-
Caveat renovator: The TV star, the writer and the salvation of a crumbling farmhouseThe actor, writer and comedian Robert Webb and his comedy writer wife Abigail Burdess embarked on a renovation project in 2019 which became far more than they imagined — and just as the job is at last complete, they've decided that it's the right time to put house on the market.
-
An Alpine hideaway on a Swiss mountaintop that's like something from the pages of a Gothic novelA wonderful Baroque castle set amid gardens and woodland is for sale in one of Switzerland's most beautiful areas.
-
The beautiful part of Britain where £1 million still buys a grand period house and a swathe of unspoilt landThe Scottish Borders might just be the best value spot in Britain today, as Arabella Youens reports.
-
A beautiful old farmhouse in 15 acres of breathtaking Scottish scenery, for sale at just £825,000A wonderful country home with almost 15 acres of land has come up for sale at a price which will make urban dwellers question their life choices.
