DiCamillo Companion
England

Faringdon House (Farringdon Park)

  • Earlier Houses: The current house was built near the site of a previous house, which was heavily damaged during the Civil War.

    Built / Designed For: Henry James Pye

    House & Family History: Faringdon is a stone house of five bays by two stories with a hipped roof built circa 1780 for Henry Pye. The center bay is raised to two-and-a-half stories with a framed giant arch and there is a fine Tuscan porch with niches. Pye was poet laureate to George III, and is popularly considered as the worst-ever holder of the title. The nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence" was sung as a satirical comment of his work. Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners (1883-1950), inherited the house and was famous for entertaining many distinguished, and sometimes outrageous, visitors, including Nancy Mitford, H.G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and John Betjeman at Faringdon. In her novel, "The Pursuit of Love," Nancy Mitford based her character of Lord Merlin on Lord Berners, right down to dyeing the doves bright colors!

    Collections: Contents from Faringdon House were sold in London by Christie's on April 12, 2018. The painting "Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett" (more commonly known as "The Morning Walk"; see "Images" section) originally hung at Faringdon and is now in the collection of the National Gallery, London. William Hallett was 21 and his wife Elizabeth, née Stephen, was 20 when Gainsborough painted this late portrait in the French manner. In spite of much speculation about the location of the landscape portrayed in the painting, its location is unknown and may be imaginary.

  • Garden & Outbuildings: There is a fine orangery at Faringdon of three glazed bays with a pediment. Robert Heber-Percy, who succeeded Lord Berners at Faringdon, built a Gothic style swimming pool, complete with stone winged wyverns, and a round tower paved with coins.

  • Country Life: CXXXIX, 1184, 1246, 1966.

  • Title: Christie's Magazine
    Author: NA
    Year Published: NA
    Reference: Jun 1999, pg. 67
    Publisher: London: Christie's
    ISBN: NA
    Book Type: Magazine

    Title: National Gallery, London, The
    Author: Wilson, Michael
    Year Published: 1983
    Reference: pg. 103
    Publisher: London: Charles Letts and Co.
    ISBN: 0856671568
    Book Type: Softback

    Title: Buildings of England: Berkshire, The
    Author: Pevsner, Nikolaus
    Year Published: 1966
    Publisher: London: Penguin Books
    ISBN: NA
    Book Type: Hardback

  • House Listed: Grade I

    Park Listed: Not Listed

  • Past Seat / Home of: Henry James Pye, 18th century. William Hallett, 18th century. Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners, until 1950. Robert Vernon Heber-Percy, 1950-87.

    Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

    Primary Current Ownership Use: Other

    Ownership Details: Owned by Sofka Zinovieff, granddaughter of Robert Heber-Percy, and let as a luxury house rental.

  • House Open to Public: No

    Phone: 013672-40-240

    Historic Houses Member: No

VISIT AND HELP PRESERVE HISTORIC BRITISH HOUSES

Help preserve Britain’s privately owned country houses by joining Historic Houses. Use code DICAM7 for a £7 discount off a new membership that will give you access to hundreds of historic houses.

Join Now

The DiCamillo Companion does not receive any compensation from the Historic Houses Association.