Salthrop House is Regency at its most ravishing; faced in golden Bath Stone, and symmetrical in every detail. The 200-year-old house, which stands in 71 acres on the edge of the north Wiltshire Downs, has been attributed to James Wyatt, Robert Adam’s great rival. But it is more likely to be the work of a talented architect from Bath.
John and Angela Gillibrand bought the five-bedroom property in 1989. Mrs Gillibrand says: “There are not too many houses on the Downs and, having lived in the area for a while, I thought I knew them all.” So when she saw the house advertised in the local paper, after it had spent a spell as a country house hotel, they were quick to buy. Now it is on the market through Strutt & Parker, inviting offers of more than £3 million. Potential purchasers include families moving out of London, who don’t want to be too distant. The hedge fund territory of Mayfair is an hour and 40 minutes by car.
The entrance is part of a classic Regency bow. The double entrance doors into the hall were glazed from the start and the Gillibrands found the original internal shutters in a barn. These are not hinged in the usual way, but are lifted into position with the help of bronzed handles. The hall opens into a D-shaped stairhall lit by an oval dome, and the stone steps hug the walls, unsupported from below, with the handrail descending in an unbroken sweep to the swirl at the bottom.
Remarkably, the house has barely been altered since it was built. Its size meant that it was not requisitioned during the Second World War, unlike the manor house across the road . The latter was taken by the Army and, says Angela, “so badly trashed that it had to be demolished”.
The first-floor rooms maintain their pretty trim and the bow above the hall houses what the Gillibrands nickname the Oval Office. This circular room is perhaps more suitable for use as a studio or a drawing room, rather than a bedroom, because of the curving walls. Salthrop has an extensive vaulted lower ground floor, where the old kitchen serves as an office and wine store — with Georgian bins that maintain a perfect temperature.
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The 19th-century service wing, which extends to the north, is currently arranged as two flats and there are also some handsome stone outbuildings. Amid all this beauty there is only one snag; a distant rumble from the M4 can be heard on the north side of the house.
By contrast, the garden to the south is peaceful and sheltered from the prevailing wind and the house benefits from sun throughout the day.
Strutt & Parker, 020-7629 7282
Fast facts
What you get Exceptionally well preserved Regency house in 71 acres with five main bedrooms and a wing with two apartments.
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Where is it? Marlborough 9m, Swindon 5m, Swindon to London Paddington 55min, M4 2.5m.
Area 931sq m (10,022sq ft).
Upside Beautiful, well-proportioned rooms with little altered and a wealth of fine decorative trim.
Downside The distant rumble from the M4.