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Faringdon House

Oxfordshire, Cotswolds

Key Facts:

  • Sleeps14

    Sleeps

  • Bedrooms8

    Bedrooms

  • Bathrooms6

    Bathrooms

  • Price17500

    Price

Overview

Sleeps: 14

Built in the 1780s for the poet laureate, Henry Pye, Faringdon House is an elegant, neoclassical villa in the Palladian style.  In the 20th century it belonged to Lord Berners, the composer, writer, painter and eccentric. Perfect for a big family christmas or an English Summer in the Cotswolds.

From £17,500 per week 

 

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Description

Description

Details

The stream of famous guests in the mid 20th century included Stravinsky, Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein and H.G. Wells. Nancy mitford immortalised Faringdon House as Merlinford in The Pursuit of Love, with it’s eccentric owner, Lord Merlin, it’s coloured doves and folly tower up on the hill.

In 2014 the current owner Sofka Zinovieff, wrote ‘The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me’.

Inside

Inside Faringdon you will find beautiful internal plasterwork and an unusual double staircase, with a flying bridge over the hall. Much of the furnishings and art have remained since Lord Berner’s era; 17th century English portraits, antique mirrors and ornaments and both formal and more bohemian furniture. Touches of Berner’s whimsical humour also remain – a flock of brightly coloured doves still astonishes guests as they arrive at the house.

On the ground floor you will find the hall, drawing room, study, dining room and kitchen.

Bedrooms

On the first floor there are 5 beautiful bedrooms, 3 are ensuite, which radiate off the main landing. An additional 3 bedrooms reside on the second floor. All are beautifully decorated.

Outside

The house is surrounded on all sides by its own gardens and park, just outside, yet secluded from, you will find the thriving and historic market town of Faringdon and on the doorstep of the Cotswolds.

 

Property Features

  • Outdoor swimming pool
  • Wifi
  • BBQ

Location

Location

  • Located in the Cotswolds.
  • 1hr30 minute drive from London
  • 1hr from Heathrow airport
  • The A420 connects the M4 to the South at Swindon (junction 15) and the M40 to the north near Oxford (junction 9).
  • There are main line railway stations at Swindon, Didcot and Oxford.

Staff and Dining

Staff and Dining

Staff such as Chefs, Butlers, Babysitters and Maid Service can be arranged at an extra cost.

 

Things To Do

Things To Do

  • Punting on the lake in the Park below the House.
  • Candlelit dinner in the Orangery & evening swimming in the pool.
  • Wild swimming & / or boating on the river Thames.
  • Have dinner at the top of Faringdon Folly & admire far reaching views of the Cotswolds, Thames valley & Berkshire downs.
  • Enjoy excellent long distance walking ie, the Ridgeway trail & the Thames path.
  • Enjoy the Cheltenham festival & Henley Regatta, both within an hour of Faringdon.
  • Oxford is only 18 miles away; university colleges to explore, theatre, culture etc.
  • One & a half hours by car to London for West End shows, opera, sight seeing & shopping.
  • Cosy award wining boutique pubs nearby for lunch & / or dinner.
  • Cotswold villages close by to explore.
  • Visit Buscot Park & Kelmscott Manor.
  • The National Trust’s Buscot Park is nearby, as is Badbury Hill. There is racing at Cheltenham and Newbury, and hunting with the Vale of the White Horse and Old Berkshire hunts.
  • Play with the indoor or outdoor games provided.
  • Wander into the nearby town of Faringdon for a pub lunch.
  • Visit the nearby towns of Buford and Lechlade

     

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