country houses

Outstanding for both historical and architectural reasons. A courtyard house in landscaped grounds, probably on site of the mediaeval nunnery. Rebuilt by 1st Earl of Pembroke after 1544 and largely finished by 1563.

Large country house. c1854-1868 by Benjamin Bucknall for William Leigh. Ashlar limestone; ashlar chimneys; stone slate roof. High Victorian Gothic style. Built around small courtyard.

Country house. South wing 1687-9 by William Talman. East front 1689-91 by Talman, west front 1700-03, north front 1705-7 by Thomas Archer.

Monticello is a beautiful Neoclassical mansion that was not only the home of Thomas Jefferson, it was designed by him as well.

This country villa was the home of Victorian naturalist Charles Darwin and his family for 40 years. It was here that he composed On the Origin of Species.

Country house, now nursing home. 1881-91 for Percy Wyndham by Philip Webb, altered 19-30s. Dressed limestone and ashlar, tiled hipped roof with brick and ashlar stacks.

Designed by the architect of the Houses of Parliament and completed (in its present form) in 1842, the impressive Highclere Castle enjoys current fame as the setting for the TV show Downton Abbey.

This beautiful Baroque palace with extensive landscaped gardens is the birthplace of Winston Churchill and a World Heritage Site.

In a pretty rural landscape north of North Leigh are the foundations of a large Roman courtyard villa and a nearly complete mosaic floor.