Buscot Park, Oxfordshire — historic house

historic house · Oxfordshire · England

Buscot Park

Photo: Buscot Park by Rictor Norton & David Allen from London, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

About this place

Buscot Park was built between 1780 and 1783 for Edward Loveden Loveden in an austere neoclassical style.

The house stands near Faringdon in Oxfordshire, within what were once the historic bounds of Berkshire.

Its rooms hold the Faringdon Collection, which includes works by Rembrandt and Burne-Jones.

The family still lives there today.

The National Trust has owned the estate since 1956, though the house is managed and occupied by the present Lord Faringdon.

Read more on Wikipedia

History

The estate changed hands in 1859 when it was sold to Robert Tertius Campbell, an Australian whose daughter Florence later became known as Mrs Charles Bravo, the central figure in an unsolved Victorian murder case. The house later passed to the financier Alexander Henderson, later ennobled as the 1st Baron Faringdon, whose family has held it since. After the 1st Baron's death in 1934, the house was altered and restored to its original 18th-century appearance for his grandson, the 2nd Baron Faringdon.

Architecture

The house was built in a restrained neoclassical style in the early 1780s. In the 1930s the architect Geddes Hyslop carried out extensive alterations to return it to its original 18th-century form for the 2nd Baron Faringdon.

Worth knowing

Florence Campbell, daughter of a former owner, became notorious as Mrs Charles Bravo, whose husband's death by poisoning in 1876 remains one of the great unsolved Victorian murder mysteries. The house also holds works by Rembrandt and Burne-Jones as part of the Faringdon Collection.

Gardens & grounds

The grounds at Buscot Park are open alongside the house and form a significant part of the visit.

Plan your visit

Nearest station: Swindon Rail Station (9.3 miles)

The house and gardens are generally open to the public during the summer months; check the official website for current dates.

Nearby properties

Historic places nearby

Within 5 miles of Buscot Park there are 4 historic properties, including 2 historic houses, across Historic Houses, Churches Conservation Trust and National Trust sites.

2 Historic Houses
1 Churches Conservation Trust
1 National Trust
2 Historic house
1 Historic building
1 Church
See these 4 sites on the heritage map

Within 10 miles of Buscot Park there are 10 historic properties, including 3 historic buildings, 3 archaeological sites and 2 churchs, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.

4 English Heritage
2 Churches Conservation Trust
2 Historic Houses
2 National Trust
3 Historic building
3 Archaeological site
2 Church
2 Historic house
See these 10 sites on the heritage map

Within 20 miles of Buscot Park there are 38 historic properties, including 12 historic buildings, 7 churchs and 7 archaeological sites, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.

18 English Heritage
7 Churches Conservation Trust
7 Historic Houses
6 National Trust
12 Historic building
7 Church
7 Archaeological site
6 Historic house
3 Museum
1 Chapel
1 Palace
1 Manor house
See these 38 sites on the heritage map

Facts

A neoclassical house holding Rembrandts and Burne-Jones, with a family history tangled up in an unsolved Victorian murder.

Type
historic house
Location
Oxfordshire, England
Visit duration
Around 2 hours for the gardens/house, though some visitors report spending up to half a day exploring the wider grounds.
Historic Houses Grade II*
Official website

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