Ston Easton Park

History

The Hippisley family had been Lords of the Manor of Ston Easton and surrounding areas since the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is unclear whether the family had originally come to England with William the Conqueror or were of Saxon origin, but they brought the rights to several local manors, some in association with William Rosewell. The Lord of the Manor, Preston Hippisley left the manor of Ston Easton to his daughter who married John Coxe of Leigh, Wiltshire, who was the member of parliament for Milborne Port and their son John Hippisley-Coxe married a rich woman, Mary Northliegh from Peamore, Exminster and with his increased wealth commence the building of the current house. They moved from the old manor house by the parish church to an old gabled manor house and started to convert it into a Palladian mansion with parkland and gardens incorporating parts of the earlier Tudor building.

The identity of the architect is not known, and although the design is reminiscent of the work of William Kent modern research tends to suggest Thomas Paty was the architect. It is also not known exactly when the house was built. John Hippisley-Coxe died in 1769 and his sons Richard and Henry further embellished the house and grounds. Henry Hippisley-Coxe employed Humphry Repton to design a landscape park, including driveways and a viaduct similar to his plans for Endsleigh Cottage, although only part of this plan was actually created. Henry's widow Elizabeth Anne Horner, of Mells Manor, and her second husband Sir John Hippisley, 1st Baronet, further developed the grounds in about 1814. Elizabeth lived in the house until her death in 1843. The house was then left to Henry's nephew, another Henry, from Lambourn and his descendants lived there until the middle of the 20th century.

John Preston Hippisley inherited the house in 1956 when his father Richard John Bayntun Hippisley died. In order to settle the bill for inheritance tax he sold Ston Easton. Subsequently maintenance of the building was poor and the fabric decayed. In 1958 a Preservation Order was obtained to stop the building being demolished. Restoration was undertaken by William Rees-Mogg who bought the building in 1964. Further restoration and conversion into a hotel was undertaken by the Smedley family who bought it from Rees-Mogg in 1977 or 1978. The house was sold again in 2001 to Von Essen Hotels.

Architecture

The two-storey house has a symmetrical facade with projecting wings either side of the central doorway with a Tuscan portico. The ashlar is dressed with plaster and stone to highlight architectural features. The rear of the building is plainer than the front and is without the plaster dressing. The interior is decorated with plaster mouldings and engravings on the ceilings and fireplaces. The entrance hall leads via mahogany doors to the 32 feet (9.8 m) by 24 feet (7.3 m) saloon. Further highly decorated rooms include the dining room and library. An octagonal bathroom contains a plunge bath used by Lady Hippisley which is believed to have been designed by Sir John Soane or one of his pupils such as George Allen Underwood.

Ston Easton has gardens and landscaped grounds, laid out by Humphry Repton, of around 5 hectares (12 acres) and the remains of a park of between 30 acres (12 ha) and 87 hectares (210 acres). They include terraces and a pleasure ground in a steep sided valley. The grounds are listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Some of the earlier parkland is now used for agriculture and the Farrington Golf & Country Club.

The single-storey stone stables, which are to the west of the main house were built around 1769. They are in a similar architectural style to the house and include three carriage openings.