There’s a particular kind of husband who, confronted with a homesick wife, reaches for a bouquet and calls it a day. And then there’s the 17th-century English aristocrat Henry Dunch, who, faced with the same dilemma, decided the only appropriate response was to build his Italian princess bride a palazzo from scratch. Centuries later, Newington House still stands as one of England’s most devoted love letters and has come to the market for £14.25 million.
Constructed of square limestone and ashlar, the Grade II manor was modeled on Peter Paul Rubens’ collection, The Palaces of Genoa (1622), and is thought to be a copy of the Pallavicini Palazzo, according to the listing. The Newington House is a rare example of Genoese Renaissance architecture in the English countryside, an intentional replica of the grand palaces Dunch’s wife grew up in.
But, the estate’s history is well-recorded for centuries before this lavish, romantic gesture. According to The Victoria County History of Oxfordshire, the land was originally granted by Emma, Queen Consort of King Canute, to the priory of Canterbury Cathedral between 1017 and 1035.
Following the Dissolution in 1542, the land was passed and eventually split into two separate properties, one of which was sold to Edmund Dunch, succeeded by his son Walter Dunch. His son built a new manor in 1635, which his nephew’s son, Henry, inherited in 1679 and subsequently replaced with the present palazzo. Much later, in the early 1900s when American artist and hostess Ethel Sands owned it, Newington House was notably a hotspot for artists and authors to gather and even create.
The Italianate stone beauty is elegantly symmetrical with stone carvings and statues at the entrance. It was remodeled in 1777 by George White, a clerk of the House of Commons. He added the second floor, a hipped Welsh-slated roof, and a grand Corinthian porch. Past the double doors, the oak staircase welcomes guests into the grand hall, and around every corner, the stone house holds those sophisticated period details. Elegant paneling, elaborate door casings, and classical French wallpapers are just a few to name some.
There are four floors within the 13,000-square-foot main house, including the former cellar, which was converted into a modern basement with a kitchenette, gym, game room, and gun room. The upper floors hold seven bedrooms, while the separate manor and coach house contain an additional nine total bedrooms. Designed for a princess to feel at home here, space was never going to be an issue.
Outdoors, across 43 acres of land, sit stables, paddocks, a tennis court, a heated pool, and a boating lake complete with an island off the River Thame. It wouldn’t be a palatial palace without manicured lawns and gardens, a croquet lawn, and a greenhouse. After the Nettleton family acquired the property in 1991, the home’s meadows and woodlands have been replanted to create an enchanting environment. Now, for the first time in 35 years, this dreamy estate can be yours.
James Nettleton, the prestigious property’s seller, shares, “People often imagine that living in a large old house must feel grand or formal. The reality couldn’t be more different. Newington is a warm, busy family house, full of life, laughter, noise and activity. Every room has memories attached to it. The house wasn’t something we admired from a distance; we lived in every corner of it.”
Crispin Holborow and Hugh Maconochie of Savills represent the listing.
