Historically overshadowed by the dominating presence of Brightwell Park on its northern boundary, nowadays, the main claim to fame of the pretty south Oxfordshire village of Brightwell Baldwin, at the foot of the Chilterns between Oxford and Henley-on-Thames, is probably its role as the setting for multiple episodes of Midsomer Murders.
As intriguing as any of the series’s story-lines, however, is the history of the ruined mansion that abuts the 18th-century former coach house and stables, which now serve as the main estate house – all currently for sale, together with Brightwell Park’s other estate houses, farm buildings and 135 acres of ancient woods and parkland, at a guide price of £8 million to £10 million through Savills.
According to local records, the village name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, the ‘bright well’ being the clear stream that was dammed to create the lake in the park, with the Baldwin element added in the 14th century when Baldwin de Bereford became Lord of the Manor.
Thereafter, the Brightwell Baldwin estate passed through a number of influential families, among them the Cottesmores, the Parkes and the Carletons. In 1754, it came down to the Lowndes Stone family, when Francis Lowe left it to his daughter, Catherine, who had married William Lowndes Stone in 1744.
At this time, there existed an Elizabethan manor house, although no trace of it remains. That house burned down in 1787 and was swiftly replaced, in about 1790, by a new, square, stone-built house, thought to have been designed by James Wyatt for Lowndes Stone’s son, also William.
The ice house, the two Grade II-listed Georgian lodges, the bridge and the kitchen garden are all thought to date from that time.
During the Second World War, the mansion was used to house two prep schools, before being largely demolished in 1947. The part that remains – the present Dower House – has been converted into three flats, below which is a massive ground floor, unused for more than 70 years.
The Grade II-listed former coach house and stables that make up the present, six-bedroom, main estate house, also known as Brightwell Park, form three sides of a cobbled courtyard separated from the Dower House by garages with courtyards to either side.
Both the mansion ruins and the Dower House are unlisted and there is now the opportunity to create one magnificent country house with outstanding views to the Chilterns over Brightwell’s glorious parkland – certainly the project of a lifetime, but not one for the faint of heart.
It is to the credit of Oxfordshire District Council that, despite the lack of a traditional ‘big house’ at the heart of the estate, one of the county’s most beautiful parks and its former estate village have been preserved for future generations, having been mostly designated a Conservation Area in July 1990 – an area extended to include all the historic parkland in October 1993.
The character of the parkland, which slopes down towards the former fishponds and the stream that traverses it, reflects the 18th-century landscaping scheme believed to have been laid out by Humphry Repton – although no Red Book exists.
The area, comprising 75 acres of grazed parkland, 21 acres of woodland and 29 acres of pasture, includes a mix of formal and informal tree planting, the crowning glory of which is a 200-year-old cedar avenue that meanders through the park and is reputed to be one of only two of its style and age remaining in the country.
The perfect shopping list for a 'forever home'? Detached, in the country, and close to a decent pub
The ideal 'forever home' has four bedroroms, two bathrooms and a garden that's not too big and not too small,
The enchanting manor house built from the same stone as Salisbury Cathedral
Chicksgrove Manor in Wiltshire sits on the River Nadder.
Credit: Jonathan Stone / Savills
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s original River Cottage up for sale as part of a magnificent estate
Elegant Slape Manor at Netherbury in west Dorset comes with four cottages, including the delightful River Cottage.
-
ChilstoneChilstone have been makers of fine cast stone garden ornaments and architectural stone since 1953.
-
Guild AndersonGuild Anderson’s work in country houses and historic buildings centres around the design and reimagining of domestic working spaces, chiefly kitchens, sculleries, boot rooms and pantries.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
-
Six charming homes up for sale, including one dubbed 'one of the most picturesque in Dorset', as seen in Country LifeOur look at the finest houses to come up for sale through Country Life in the past week is full of delights, from a new-Georgian mansion to a perfectly-sized Hertfordshire estate.
-
A Buckinghamshire mansion built for the speech therapist who set Churchill on his path to greatnessPenny Churchill takes a look at Rignalls, a classic Arts-and-Crafts home that looks like it's stepped out of the pages of an EM Forster novel.
