Inside An Italian Palazzo In The Oxfordshire Countryside, Built By The Husband Of A Homesick Princess

If there’s one point that the owners of grand country piles are always keen to drive home, it is that their home is first and foremost a home, just like any other. And James Nettleton, the owner of Newington House is no different. 

Having grown up at Newington House and later bought it off his father to raise his own family, James has now lived at the historic property for 35 years. ‘Living here since I was eight years old, it is home,’ he says. ‘And yes, it is a privilege to be here, and it has all the history and the magic rooms that it does, but it is also home. It’s where I was brought up. It’s where my kids are being brought up.’ 

That history James mentioned stretches back over 1,000 years. The land at Newington was granted by Emma, Queen Consort of King Canute, to the priory of Canterbury Cathedral somewhere between 1017 and 1035. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1542, the land was divided and the manor sold to a man by the name of Edmunch Dunch. Passing through the Dunch line, the current property was constructed on the site in 1679 . Legend has it that Henry Dunch built Newington House for his bride, a homesick Italian princess from the noble Pallavicini family of Genoa. The princess missed her home so much that Dunch designed a replica of the Palazzo Pallavicini in Genoa – a UNESCO World Heritage Site described by Peter Paul Rubens in Palazzi di Genova (1622) – right in the heart of Oxfordshire.

But its historical significance doesn’t end there. The Dunch family were also close relatives and political allies of Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War – a history that leaves James wondering what conversations were held amongst these walls. ‘It’s a privilege to be here,’ he reflects. ‘There’s no doubt it is. You are living in a bit of history.’

In more recent memory, American artist Ethel Sands owned the Grade II* Listed property, living there with her partner Anna Hope Hudson. One of the most fabulous hostesses of early 20th century society, Sands hosted a plethora of artists, writers and society names in Newington House – including Lady Ottoline Morrell, Lady Sibyl Colefax, Henry James, Arnold Bennett and members of the Bloomsbury Group, including Virginia Woolf. The artist Walter Sickert was a frequent guest and painted several notable works during his time there, most famously ‘Ethel Sands Descending the Staircase at Newington (1920)’ and ‘Tea with Sickert (1911-12)’.

By the time James’s father bought the property in 1991, however, ‘it was very crumbling’. Shrouded in scaffolding for about 10 years, all the foundations were relaid, every stone pulled out, cleaned and reappointed, the roof redone, and every room redecorated while remaining faithful to the original features. Transformed into a gorgeous country pile, James explains that ‘many films, many photoshoots [and] many weddings’ have since been hosted at the home. Most notably, Newington House served as the home of the Kendall family in the 2017 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel, starring Rachel Weisz. Carlos Sainz has raced around the front drive with his father for Formula 1, while Rita Ora has posed with their horse and chickens for Tatler. 

Though James is always keen to limit the number of people transforming his home into a film set, it’s no surprise that so many have been attracted to its historic halls. Done up in square limestone and ashlar to mimic the Italian palazzos of Dunch’s bride, Newington House has gone through many evolutions over the years. In 1777, a second floor was added under a hipped Welsh-slated roof, a grand Corinthian porch included, and a low service wing embedded. Much of the interior, including the marble fireplaces and cornicing, dates from this period, although chamfered beams and basement fireplace hail from the 17th century.

Beyond the central house, the estate also includes accommodation for staff, family or guests: a 17th century, five-bed Manor House and a four-bed Coach House. Newer features can also be found throughout the 10-bedroom home – including a gym, study and games room. One of James’s favourite spaces in the home, this cellar space with its bar, dance floor and full-size snooker table (from Winston Churchill’s war rooms no less) has played host to countless parties. ‘You’ll have a smart dinner in the dining room and then you end up going downstairs to the cellar to literally party the night away. I’ve got dozens of memories of fantastic drunken dancing and pool and what have you.’

Another favourite spot is the family room. ‘I’ve spent endless nights with my sisters and parents, and now with my wife and children, just curled around with a log fire,’ he says. Though they’ll miss the house, it’s a comfort to know his children each have a lasting legacy amongst the grounds. When James’s oldest son was born, he planted him a 24 acre wood named Johnny’s Wood. ‘Walking through the wood at dawn and dusk, taking the dogs to walk through the wood, that’s magic,’ says James. For his second son, he then dug a pond in the woods called Billy’s Bowl. ‘Then I had a daughter called Nancy. I was like what on Earth do I do? Johnny’s got 9,000 trees. Billy’s got a pond. What do I do for my daughter? So what I did was plant a really nice nut tree and called in Nancy’s nut tree. It’s kind of a family joke.’

When he was younger, it was the front gates that were his favourite feature – Grade II* listed gate pillars, featuring two stone griffins and shields that represent the property’s former owners, the Bisshopps and the Whites. ‘You come through the gates, the big iron raw gates with the big griffins above which are very impressive to go through,’ recalls James of his childhood. ‘You turn into the gates, and then mum or dad – most often mum – would just be waiting by the front door on the steps. And that’s cool. You’re like “I’m home”.’

Besides this impressive entrance, the 43 acre estate spans meadows, (Johnny’s) woodland, (Billy’s) lake, a pool, tennis court, Italian garden, walled garden, croquet lawn, rose garden, greenhouse, four stables with a tack room and barn, and the River Thames running through the grounds. Today, Newington House sounds like a hive of activity. ‘I’ve got three young children, and it’s a home with every activity you could ever imagine,’ says James. ‘It’s just super exciting, because it’s got all the activities going, whether I’m canoeing, fishing, clay shooting, tennis, swimming, going through the maze in the woods. You never get bored here.’

With three young children, nine dogs, three horses, two pigs, two dozen sheep, 25 chickens, a lizard, boredom seems impossible amongst these storied walls. ‘It is a privilege, an utter privilege to be here,’ emphasises James. ‘I’m just walking around the hallway now and strange as it might sound, it is also home. It’s a really homely home […] The kids run around. It’s not a pristine historic museum. It is a home and it’s not always as tidy as it could be […] It’s a family home where toys are left the floors, and the dogs are running around and we spill milk in the kitchen like every other human being.’ He hopes that the future owners ‘love it like I love it. Anyone that comes on will have to make it their home. I hope they create the happy memories that I’ve created here.’

On the market for £14,250,000 for the whole estate, or available in three separate lots. Find out more at search.savills.com