No disrespect to Hertfordshire, but it’s probably not the first county in which you’d look for the ultimate residential and sporting estate.
There is on the market, however, an impressive, 10-bedroom country house in a glorious parkland setting with a large acreage of productive farmland and an outstanding high-bird shoot set in deep valleys and wooded hillsides more reminiscent of Yorkshire or the West Country than a quiet corner of the Home Counties that lies 40 miles north of Hyde Park Corner.
All this – and more – comes with the sale, through Savills, of 1,349-acre Hexton Manor Estate at Hexton, in the foothills of the Chilterns AONB, in up to four lots via Savills, at a guide price of £19 million for the whole.
The house itself is part of Lot 1, comprising the 14,589sq ft, Grade II-listed manor with its enormous walled garden, 10 bedrooms and two integrated flats, plus six estate houses and cottages, buildings – including a converted stable that contains three office and a flat – and lakes set in 186 acres of parkland and farmland, together offered at £9 million.
The remaining three lots are all comprised of land. Lot 2, comprising 586 acres of farmland and steep wooded valleys to the south of the house is for sale at £4.75 million. Lot 3, priced at £4.25 million, is for 473 acres of flat, fertile, arable land to the north of Hexton village; and Lot 4, at £1 million, is a further 101 acres of arable land to the west of the village.
The manor itself is approached from the east through iron gates and then via a drive which passes along an avenue of beeches, while the western approach leads past the stables, bothy and walled garden from the village of Hexton itself.
Few country estates are as well documented as Hexton Manor, which has remained in continuous private ownership since its surrender by the Abbey of St Alban at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1593, it was bought by Peter Taverner, whose descendants lived there until 1772, after which it changed hands several times in quick succession.
In 1809, Hexton was described as ‘a well-appointed country estate with park and gardens’ by its owner, William Young, who thought of selling, but decided instead to pass it to his daughter, Caroline, and her husband, Joseph Lautour.
The Lautours made numerous improvements and, in about 1820, had the house, which was originally built of brick, stuccoed in the late-Georgian style.
Having spent the 1820s and 1830s largely in debt, Joseph died in 1845, but Caroline continued to embellish the park from 1848 until her death in 1869.
During her son’s tenure, Hexton was let to tenants and it was almost derelict by 1901, when it was bought by rich textile merchant George Hodgson.
In the course of an ambitious 18-year restoration, he renovated the manor, removed the single-storey wings, rebuilt the village, restored and developed the gardens and grounds, built follies and bridges and erected gate-lodges at either entrance of the long, tree-lined drive. In 1918, he sold to the wool merchant and politician Sir James Hill.
The next custodian was a steely Scotsman, Maj Sir Patrick Ashley Cooper, a far-sighted businessman who was at one time governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company and a director of the Bank of England.
Knighted for his wartime service in 1944, he was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1946. He died at sea in 1961, since when the estate has been farmed, managed and enjoyed by successive generations of the Cooper family.
As its long history shows, an estate such as this needs constant investment merely to stand still. As well as overseeing the running of the farms, shoot and the administration of Hexton’s substantial property portfolio, the present incumbents, the refreshingly down-to-earth Patrick Cooper and his wife, Belinda, have boosted estate coffers wherever they can.
One of the key measures has been restoring and converting the Victorian walled garden into a private wedding venue, with civil ceremonies conducted in the manor’s grand Italianate reception hall.
Hexton Manor is for sale via Savills – see more pictures and information.
The 'children’s paradise' surrounded by acres of dreamy lawned gardens
Classical Culver is situated on the edge of the historic east Hertfordshire village of Much Hadham.
A home that really takes the biscuit: Inside the McVitie's mansion
This beautiful mansion in Hertfordshire was once the family home of Britain's great biscuit dynasty.
A riverside house with gardens which look like they’ve escaped from a Monet
The Mill House is a Hertfordshire home with genuinely spectacular gardens, but none which is in need of some TLC
-
Five beautiful country homes which show what can be done with a property that escapes the notice of the Listed Building inspectorsThe listed building system does a wonderful job of protecting some of Britain's most wonderful houses — but it's fascinating to see what can happen to a lovely country house when the usual restrictions that come with listed status don't apply.
-
The Manot bed that made it from a Herefordshire attic to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Country LifeWhen Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York
-
Five magnificent homes for sale, from Highland escape to a 17th century school, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life.
-
A castle that's 'a masterpiece of the baronial revival' with 17 bedrooms, breathtaking gardens and its own miniature railwayMajestic, imposing, graceful, romantic... Ayton Castle is the very picture of
-
'One of the finest houses in Cheshire' blends Georgian architecture, modern exoticism and space to park your helicopterPenny Churchill looks inside Stretton Hall, an exceptional house for sale
-
Splendid isolation at four gorgeous properties for sale around the worldFor those craving a home that offers a true escape from the world, some wonderful properties are on the market right now. Here's our pick of some of the finest — ideal for nature lovers, those in search of tranquility and Bond villains alike.
-
The market for super-prime houses in England's biggest millionaire's playground is booming — and this £10m example is one of the bestWhirley Hall is a 17th century building that's a perfect example of how 21st century updates can transform an old home almost beyond recognition.
-
If I had to spend the rest of my life living underground, I would do it in this four-bedroom house for sale in the Peak DistrictThe aptly named Underhill is a 'a work of inhabitable art' that was built in the 1970s. And there's a swimming pool in the middle of it.
-
A micro estate for sale in west Wales shows that the best things come in small packages. In this case, three of themBrithdir is a remarkable collection of properties centred around a lake and just five miles from the sea.
-
This blissful converted mill has sweeping views, a breathtaking library and gardens by a Chelsea gold medallistPenny Churchill takes a look at Stanbridge Mill, one of the finest properties for sale today in the west country.
