This is Avington Park in the village of Avington which is about 5 miles NE of Winchester. The house originally belonged to the Cathedral of Winchester until King Henry VIII granted the estate to Edmund Clerke. In the mid 17th centuary it was owned by George Brydges, Groom of the Bedchamber to Charles II. He enlarged and updated the house to accommodate the King and Nell Gwynne.
The estate was sold in 1847 to Sir John Shelley, brother of the poet, and sold again to the Hickson family in 1953 who still own it today. Avington Park is available for weddings, corporate event, filming and is occasionally open to the public.
There was recently a crime committed at the property when a
sundial worth around £100000 was stolen.
What a grand place to live- and what an expensive sundial!
ReplyDeleteChrissy
This is a wonderful shot! I love that the sky is so blue and the grass is so green and the house is so sharp and beautifully lit. - And thanks for telling us about the history. I am a sucker for anything dating back to Henry VIII's era. And about that sundial, WHAT! Was it encrusted with diamonds? I mean, come on! I hope it wasn't just lying around in the garden getting rained on. Surely, it was in a glass case, sitting on a pressure sensitive pad and it took a team of ninja's dressed in black and doing fancy flips to nab it.
ReplyDeleteI'd feel like quite a Duke or Baron living in a place like that!
ReplyDeleteBaron Leif Hagen of the EAGAN daily photo blog
Has a nice ring to it, I think!
This place is beautiful. If the sundial costs so much, it is mind-boggling what the contents must be worth.
ReplyDeleteAnother spot I LOVE to take photos around :)
ReplyDeleteGreat image
Neil
Yes, these guys must have a fair amount of money for an 100K sundial! Rachel I think it was just sitting there in the garden, waiting to be taken!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful looking home.
ReplyDeleteYes, unfortunately my house looks nothing like it :)
ReplyDelete