A gorgeous Berkshire house/castle-hybrid that inspired Thomas Hardy to write 'Jude The Obscure'
Penny Churchill takes a look at Fawley Manor, a glorious 17th century house that's come up for sale.


Occasionally at Country Life we come across a house where the lines are blurred between house, castle, stately home and museum; those places where cosy touches meet grand architecture, and where superb original features somehow co-exist happily with a place that’s clearly been beautifully kept.
And that’s very much the case in west Berkshire, where Alex Barton of Strutt & Parker quotes a guide price of £4.75m for Grade II*-listed Fawley Manor at South Fawley, five miles from Wantage. It’s a splendid Jacobean manor house set in nine acres of gardens and grounds overlooking the timeless beauty of the North Wessex Downs AONB.
The present house was built in 1614 on the site of an earlier manor by Francis Moore, a successful barrister who was knighted in 1616, having served as MP for Reading for many years; he died at Fawley Manor in 1621. In the 19th century, Thomas Hardy is said to have visited the manor house, which provided the inspiration for his novel Jude the Obscure, in which Jude’s surname is Fawley.
Lovingly restored by its current owners who have lived there for 40 years, the manor is arranged over four floors around a lovely original staircase.
Of particular note is the Old Hall on the ground floor — a wonderful period piece with an impressive 17th-century fireplace, original screens passage, oak panelling and large stone mullioned windows overlooking the formal gardens.
On the first floor, the Oak Room is another fine reception room, 30ft in length with an open fireplace and high-level views over the Downs.
The core of the house is essentially Jacobean, offering some 6,000sq ft of accommodation including six reception rooms, 10 bedrooms and seven bathrooms. A substantial 19th-century wing provides a further 4,000sq ft of living space, which could be incorporated into the main house, if required. Outside, the gardens and grounds at Fawley Manor have been designed with the history of the house in mind.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The focus is on strong geometrical topiary and avenues of evergreen trees, with more formal box parterres close to the house. There’s also an old tennis court, pond, orchard and cutting garden.
A run of stables complements the pony paddocks next to the formal gardens, and a row of brick-and-flint outbuildings could be converted to a cottage, subject to planning consent.
Fawley Manor is for sale at £4.7m via Strutt & Parker — see more details.
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
-
From California to Cornwall: How surfing became a cornerstone of Cornish culture
A new exhibition at Cornwall's National Maritime Museum celebrates a century of surf culture and reveals how the country became a global leader in surf innovation and conservation.
By Emma Lavelle Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool
5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
By James Fisher Published
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Dorset
With 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventure
The interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of Pembrokeshire
A lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed folly
Hagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich history
Three floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
By James Fisher Published
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of Somerset
Ashton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
By Arabella Youens Published