Winchfield House offers country life and tradition with a parkland setting — and yet it's perfectly located for road, rail and air, as Penny Churchill discovers.
On the northern edge of Hampshire, Clive Moon of Savills in Farnham quotes a guide price of £4.95m for Georgian, Grade II*-listed Winchfield House, set in 50 acres of glorious parkland near the ancient village of Winchfield, two miles south of Hartley Wintney, three miles north-east of Odiham and 38 miles west of London.
The Winchfield estate was once part of the manor of Winchfield, which was owned by the Rudyerd family from 1591 until 1767, when their trustees sold it to Lt-Gen Lord George Beauclerk, sixth son of the 1st Duke of St Albans by his wife, Diana, daughter of Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford. Soon afterwards, Lord Beauclerk built the present house, which served as the family seat of the Beauclerks until the 1850s, when it was sold to Spencer Charrington, in whose family it remains.
The 18th-century design of Winchfield House exudes Georgian elegance and is broadly symmetrical, with an interesting, half-octagon, projecting front façade. The historic parkland includes a lake, wooded areas and pasture, as well as formal gardens, and Winchfield’s Historic England listing describes the 9,378sq ft house as having ‘good interiors, with an Adam fireplace, panelling and folding shutters’.
Three beautifully proportioned reception rooms — drawing room, dining room and sitting room, plus a study and kitchen/breakfast room — are arranged around a central reception hall, the focal points of which are two large windows at one end, and a graceful sweeping staircase at the other.
Replicating the ground-floor footprint, the light-filled first floor boasts five bedroom suites, with a further two/three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. The basement has an air of yesteryear, with its scullery, utility areas, cellars and stores; it also houses an office and a two-bedroom staff apartment.
The nearby coach house has been converted to a charming, Grade II-listed, five-bedroom home that has been recently refurbished throughout. It is currently used as one property, but could revert back to two separate cottages if required. It comes with its own delightful private garden, with views over Winchfield House land.
The equestrian facilities at Winchfield House, which are currently let, are second to none.
They include 17 stables, a tack room and a stable manager’s cottage in the main three-sided stable courtyard, with an isolation box, six further stables, a hay barn, stores and a wash-down area in the rear stable yard. Training facilities include an outdoor school.
Winchfield House is for sale at £4.95m via Savills — see more details.
Best country houses for sale this week
From a truly magnificent Shropshire stately home to a string of delightful thatched cottages, enjoy our pick of the finest
