Good things come in threes
A trio of superb country houses, one belonging to the Huntington-whiteley family, has come to the market in Worcestershire and its environs
AS a country-house agent of 40 years’ standing and a former High Sheriff of Worcestershire, Andrew Grant has crossed the threshold of almost every important house in the county and, in his time, has also sold quite a few of them. Every house has a story to tell, none more so than gracious Ripple Hall in Ripple, near Uptonupon-severn, on the Gloucestershire/worcestershire border, which comes to the market for the first time in almost 60 years at a guide price of £2.25 million through Andrew Grant Country Homes (01905 734735).
Ripple Hall, listed Grade II, stands next to Ripple’s Grade I-listed, 12th-century St Mary’s Church, surrounded by more than 13 acres of gardens, grounds and ancient parkland. The oldest, rear part of the house is believed to date from the 1400s, with the main south front added in 1780–90. The whole is rearranged in a style similar to several prominent houses in Upton-upon-severn, including The Rectory, built by Ralph Sheward for the Rev J. E. Martin in 1787.
The remodelling of Ripple Hall was carried out for Fleetwood Parkhurst, a descendant of John Parkhurst, Bishop of Norwich from 1560, who is renowned in academic circles for his Hebrew and English Lexicon. On his death in 1801, Ripple Hall passed to his son, also named Fleetwood—a clergyman who appears to have combined a number of ecclesiastical roles, including vicar of Epsom and curate of Penzance, with a successful career in the world of property. He retired to Ripple Hall, but died suddenly in 1844, apparently while out walking in Cheltenham.
Although not loved by all, the Rev Fleetwood’s passing was noted by his Rugby and
Oxford contemporary, the writer Walter Savage Landor, who wrote in a letter: ‘Little as Parkhurst is to be respected, I am shocked and grieved at his death. A happier one, however, there could not be. I shall often think of our early friendship and our happier days.’
Thereafter, Ripple Hall was owned or occupied by a number of short-term tenants, before being sold to a Miss A. J. Behrens, who lived there until 1931, when it passed to Edward F. Gray, son of the Rev Edward Gray of Donnington Hall, Ledbury.
Following a career in the consular service, Gray died in 1960, after which Ripple Hall was bought by Mr and Mrs Hugo Baldwin Huntington-whiteley, later Sir Hugo Baldwin Huntington-whiteley, 3rd Baronet Huntington-whiteley of Grimley and grandson of one of Worcestershire’s most famous sons, three-times Prime Minister Sir Stanley Baldwin.
Sir Hugo died in 2014, aged 90, and Ripple Hall is being sold by his widow, Jean, Lady Huntington-whiteley. The HuntingtonWhiteleys have long been involved with county affairs and it was entirely appropriate that Andrew Grant’s wife, Beatrice, daughter of Sir Miles Huntington-whiteley, 4th Baronet, should have spearheaded a successful campaign for a lifesize bronze statue of Sir Stanley to be erected in Bewdley—the town he served as MP for almost 30 years; the unveiling by The Duke of Gloucester took place on September 27 this year.
With its high ceilings, wide doors and original 18th-century design and fittings, Ripple Hall exudes a discreet grandeur rarely found in country houses these days. With more than 10,000sq ft of elegant living space on three floors—including four fine reception rooms, a breakfast room, an orangery, 8–10 bedrooms, five bathrooms, three wine cellars and an alarmed strong room, it caters for every aspect of full-time country living.
Traditional outdoor amenities include a stable block with original stabling, a greenhouse with productive vines, a croquet lawn, a heated outdoor pool with a view of the church, a walled kitchen garden and delightful gardens laid mainly to lawn. There are some splendid specimen trees, including an ancient tulip tree, a cork tree and a majestic oak.
Despite the long shadow cast by Brexit, Birmingham is currently enjoying something of a renaissance, which is translating into a demand for good country houses. However, at present, buyers in Worcestershire are more likely to be landowners, farmers and West Midlands businessmen than City bankers, Mr Grant maintains.
Anyone prepared to look to the long term might take a gamble on Grade Ii-listed Priors Court at Long Green, Forthampton, just below the county border in Gloucestershire, six miles from Upton-upon-severn and eight miles from Tewkesbury. It’s for sale through Andrew Grant (01905 734735) as a whole or in three lots: the guide price is £1.45m for Lot 1, the 6,168sq ft main house, with almost four acres of gardens; Lot 2 is 24¼ acres of land, at £150,000; and Lot 3 a further 10.3 acres of land, on offer at £60,000.
The substantial main house, which stands on high ground overlooking the M50 with spectacular far-reaching views, dates from the 17th century and offers six reception rooms, six bedrooms and four bathrooms— the whole now in need of some modernisation. Alternatively, with the benefit of planning consent (granted in 2007), the house could be converted into two dwellings and some nearby outbuildings to further residential accommodation. Other outbuildings include garaging, an office, a two-storey former granary, stabling, a swimming pool and a tennis court in need of renovation.
Finally, a discerning buyer with highflying equestrian ambitions, who not only wants it all, but wants it now, should head for Shelsley Beauchamp in the hills above the Teme valley. Grade Ii-listed, Georgian Shelsley Grange, set in some 50 acres of elegant gardens, grounds and paddocks, is for sale through Andrew Grant (01905 734735) and the Telford office of Savills (01952 239500) at a guide price of £4m.
The wooded hillside, with its distant views of the Malvern and Clee hills, is scattered with remote houses bounded by cherry and apple orchards—a world away from the hustle and bustle of the West Midlands conurbations.
Having bought Shelsley Grange a decade or so ago, the present owners have transformed the original mid-19th-century building into a classic country house of charm and grandeur, centred on a formal reception hall with a magnificent cantilevered staircase and four beautifully proportioned reception rooms with full-height, shuttered sash windows, high ceilings and impressive open fireplaces.
In all, the house offers 10,776sq ft of living space, including five reception rooms, a bespoke Siematic kitchen, eight bedrooms and an orangery leading to a heated indoorpool area, refurbished in January.
The same meticulous attention to detail is evident in the gardens and grounds and throughout the immaculate equestrian facilities—as befits a top-class competition yard that produced a four-star event horse to successfully complete Badminton Horse Trials earlier this year.