Kingston Lisle Park

Kingston Lisle Park is a Grade II* listed Georgian country house and estate in Kingston Lisle, near Wantage, in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. The house dates from the 17th century and is surrounded by an estate of more than 1,000 acres of woods, farmland and gardens.

Kingston Lisle Park
Location within Oxfordshire
Former namesKingston Lisle House
General information
StatusGrade II*[1]
TypeCountry house
Architectural styleGeorgian
LocationKingston Lisle, Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England
Coordinates51.5854°N 1.5302°W / 51.5854; -1.5302
Construction started1677
OwnerJamie Lonsdale
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated10 November 1952
Reference no.1048722

History

There was a village on the site since at least the Middle Ages; the Domesday Book recorded 31 households in 1086.[2]

There was a manor house on the site during the 13th century. In 1336, Alice de Lisle (granddaughter of Henry I FitzGerold) had a licence to impark 200 acres of woods and 100 acres of land,[3] and the estate became the seat for the Barony of Lisle for two centuries.[4]

In 1538, the estate was sold to William Hyde of Denchworth. Sir George Hyde likely built a Jacobean mansion on the site. Some Jacobean elements remain on different buildings on the estate.[3] His grandson, Humphrey Hyde, commissioned the central block of the current mansion. A stone plaque at the rear indicates it dates from 1677. The date stone is also marked with, "GH," initials of George Hyde.[5]

The mansion was sold to Abraham Atkins in 1749. Edwin Martin-Atkins (1778-1825) commissioned architect Richard Pace to add the wings in 1812.[6]

The estate has been owned by the Lonsdale family since 1943, when banker Leo Lonsdale purchased it for £26,000.[7]

The house passed down to Lonsdale's grandson Jamie Lonsdale. His former wife Laura, daughter of Sir Carron Greig, was a Lady-in-Waiting Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana would regularly bring Prince Harry to visit the estate. Diana was godmother to the Lonsdales' eldest daughter, Leonora.[8]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reportedly visited Kingston Lisle Park in 2011 to look for property, but a spokesman for the estate denied it was for sale.[9]

House and estate

The mansion is 17,643 square feet (1,639.1 m2), including 14 bedrooms, eight bathrooms and five reception rooms. The estate encompasses more than 290 acres and has a swimming pool, tennis court, and areas for fishing and shooting.[10]

In 2013, owner Jamie Lonsdale put the 1,021-acre estate up for sale for £35 million.[8] By March 2017 some 700 acres of the estate had been sold.[11] In the spring of 2018, the house and surrounding 257 acres were sold to a European buyer, Mr and Mrs Decaux, [12] for over £18 million.[13] Extensive renovation plans have been submitted to the local authority for the estate, as outlined in planning documents which were given consent on 18 December 2019. (Ref: P19/V1412/FUL )[14]

References
  1. Historic England. "Kingston Lisle (1048722)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  2. "Domesday Online: Kingston Lisle". Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  3. Victoria County History, Berkshire: Volume 4, 1924, pp 311-319, Parishes: Sparsholt (Kingston Lisle)
  4. David Nash Ford. "Kingston Lisle Park". Royal Berkshire History. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  5. Historic England. "KINGSTON LISLE HOUSE (1048722)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. "Kingston Lisle Park" (PDF).
  7. Matthew Beckett (22 May 2013). "2013 country house market finally comes to life". The Country Seat. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  8. "Why Jamie Lonsdale's 17th-century manor went on the market". The Daily Telegraph. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  9. Adam Helliker (8 January 2012). "A Country Life for Wills and Kate". Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  10. "A stunning Grade II* Listed Georgian house at the heart of a magical estate". Knight Frank. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  11. Waymark Property blog. Retrieved 30 October 2018
  12. https://www.facebook.com/kingstonlisle/photos/the-kingston-lisle-park-estate-is-holding-a-drop-in-open-evening-on-wednesday-th/1220419411500089/
  13. Mansion Global - Times article. Retrieved 30 October 2018
  14. http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/java/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P19/V1412/FUL#exactline
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