Hackwood Park: England’s Historic Country Manor

In the heart of Hampshire in southern England, less than an hour from London and Heathrow Airport, Hackwood Park, on the market with Christie’s International Real Estate, is a quintessentially English country estate.

Building began during the reign of Charles II (1630–85), and the main house has been improved and extended over the centuries to form the 22-bedroom, 20-bath home it is today. Utterly private, the house sits on a gentle crest at the center of its 260-acre (105-ha) grounds, invisible from the nearest road. As famous as the Grade II* listed house, its park is one of the few that are Grade I listed.

The glorious Grade I listed landscape at Hackwood Park surrounds the historic main house, offering the ultimate privacy and tranquility.

Throughout the estate’s development, every thought has been given to visual impact. From the moment you enter, passing between a pair of grand gatehouses, the eye is guided across the ancient woodland, parkland and lawn, botanical gardens, and ornamental lakes. Venturing deeper into the grounds, the house’s classical proportions are finally revealed, while an equestrian statue of George I sets the appropriate tone, gazing back over acres of greenery.

The striking red and gold saloon overlooks the estate's expansive south lawn.

“This is a very special, tranquil place,” says Charlotte Delaney, Director of Christie’s International Real Estate. “From the Grinling Gibbons carvings in the libraries and saloon, to the remodeling of the central hall by John Vardy, to the gold-leaf enhanced ceilings on the main floor, the quality of the craftsmanship in this home is exquisite.”

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The view from the front of the house takes in the exquisite grounds, the fountain, the deer park, and an equestrian statue of George I.

As is the way with estates of such provenance, Hackwood has evolved through the ages. The original phase of building began in the early 1680s, taking the place of a deer-hunting lodge and banqueting house used for Elizabethan hawking parties. The new house was a Tudor-style feasting hall with additional rooms. In the 1760s, the original full-height hall was divided by a new ceiling with fine wainscoting added. This was further decorated with those exemplary carvings.

Hackwood is as much about the grounds as the house. The phrase ‘breathtaking vistas’ might well have been invented for it.

In the early 19th century, the first and second Lords Bolton decided to “rear a stately palace.” The architect Lewis Wyatt substantially altered the façades, adding porticos and Ionic columns in the Palladian style. More recently, an extension to the orangery has added a 21st-century spa complex complete with pool, sauna, laconium, and treatment room.

The custom-built indoor swimming pool and hydro pool are more recent additions to Hackwood Park, meticulously designed to fit in with the grandeur of the original house.

There is a tangible sense of history wherever you venture inside, from the vast tapestries that line the entrance hall, to the leather-topped desk used by visiting dignitaries to sign important documents. Sir Winston Churchill, a frequent visitor to Hackwood, used it regularly and also sketched the grounds for the owner at the time. The formal and private dining rooms are beautifully proportioned. A Victorian periodical, Ackermann’s Repository, describes these and other rooms in Hackwood as “spacious and magnificent, and peculiarly adapted for comfort as well as display.”

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A leather-topped desk, used by several former prime ministers—including Sir Winston Churchill—to sign important documents, stands in the entrance hall and is considered part of the estate.

There are carvings by Gibbons on the chimneypiece in the saloon and panels in the north and south libraries, which are deemed the richest examples of his work to be found in any country house in Britain. The libraries, for their part, have bespoke bookshelves, ornate fireplaces, and doors covered with trompe l’oeil spines of antiquarian books. Two master bedroom suites on the main floor are linked by a gallery embellished with original maps of the estate over its long existence, creating a beguiling enfilade. Once again, the view has been carefully considered. The main master bedroom looks across grass through to Spring Wood—the only surviving garden wood laid out as a jardin paysager.

One of the two sumptuous master bedrooms, this suite has glorious views across the Charles Bridgeman-designed gardens.

“The great and the good have walked these floors,” continues Delaney. “Jane Austen ensured she was at the height of fashion when she attended a ball here. It must have been quite a sight to see everyone in their finery spinning around the ballroom, which is now the master bedroom suite.”

This is a very special, tranquil place—staying faithful to the ground-breaking plans of landscape architect Charles Bridgeman.

As well as the bedrooms in the main house, there are a further 12 in the six outbuildings, which include an elegant Grade II listed courtyard stable block. The labyrinthine basement contains the “engine” of the house including a commercial-scale kitchen. “Care and attention has been paid to the practicalities of running a grand home,” Delaney explains. “There’s an invisible system of staircases and ante rooms so staff can carry out their duties without interrupting the flow of life in the grand entertaining areas. It’s ingenious.”

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The Grade II listed courtyard stable block comprises further accommodation, including 12 bedrooms, an office suite, and stables.

The park is recognized as sui generis. The 74 acres (30 ha) of ornamental wooded gardens, and nearly one-and-a-half square miles (370 ha) of parkland, farmland, and woodland, lie on low chalk downlands, which drop gently towards the River Loddon valley. Many specimens of rare trees fill the woods. Exotic conifers were introduced in the 19th century, and the hawthorns from which the house derives its name—haga being the Anglo Saxon word for both “hedge” as well as the shrub—are as prevalent as the deer that still roam freely.

Immaculately manicured gardens stretch for 74 acres (30 ha), and are surrounded by the estate’s lush one-and-a-half square miles (370 ha) of parkland, farmland, and woodland.

Intriguing features and pavilions are dotted throughout the estate. The Menagerie is a small, single-story construction built in 1727 by James Gibbs, the architect who designed London’s Saint Martin-in-the-Fields church. Two pavilions known as The Cubs were first documented on a plan of 1807, and there are two 18th-century domed icehouses in the kitchen garden. The water tower, which draws from the estate’s private spring, completes the remarkable package.

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Hackwood Park’s peaceful orangery offers a bright retreat overlooking the lawns and outdoor pool.

“This property is as much about the grounds as the house. To be able to enjoy the finest surviving example of the work of Charles Bridgeman, the 18th-century landscape architect and inventor of the ha-ha [recessed landscape design element], is a privilege,” continues Delaney. “It’s fortunate that so much care has been taken in staying faithful to his ground-breaking plans. The phrase ‘breathtaking vistas’ might well have been invented for Hackwood Park.”