Ampney Park is a beautiful and historic manor house with one of the most impressive 17th Century interiors in the country, plus excellent equestrian facilities. The 25-acre estate is in the village of Ampney Crucis, 2.5 miles from the market town of Cirencester in Gloucestershire.
For racing fans, Cheltenham Racecourse is 20.6 miles away, or why not enjoy Badminton Horse Trials, just 24.2 miles away. While highly regarded polo clubs Cirencester Polo Club (7.3 miles) and Beaufort Polo Club (17.4) are just a stone’s throw away.
Hunting enthusiasts can enjoy meets with both the nearby VWH and Cotswold hunts.
The equestrian facilities include a courtyard of seven loose boxes, and a one-bedroom groom’s flat, plus an indoor arena with a viewing gallery. There is also an outdoor sand school, plus seven additional timber stables. The stunning surrounding countryside offers enviable hacking for riders.
Potential purchasers will need to cough up £8.5m for the eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom manor house, which also has in indoor swimming pool.
Approached through wrought iron gates, the Grade II Listed property — set in rolling parkland and woodland — is well laid out with elegant reception rooms and an impressive reception hall. One room of particular importance is the grand hall, described by country-house historian Nicholas Kingsley as one of the most “perfect early 17th Century interiors in the country”. This room has extensive oak panelling of exceptional quality — carved to depict mythical beasts all individually designed.
The main house is reputed to have been built in 1628. In 1724, Ampney Park passed by marriage to the Dawnay’s of Cowick Hall in Yorkshire and in 1765 it was sold to Samuel Blackwell of Cirencester — his family owned the property until 1891.
In the 1890s, new owner Edmund Cripps added a billiard room and further accommodation to the east of the house. Later the house was the home of politician Sir Frederick Cripps until his death in 1959.
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