Stonor

Stonor: One Of England’s Architectural Treasures

Stonor is one of those places that will simply take your breath away the second that you lay eyes on it. There is no other way to introduce the manor house. Although there are plenty around the county of Oxfordshire, this particular house stands alone in terms of its sheer size, elegance and age.

Stonor is officially one of the oldest manor houses in the country today, having been occupied by the same family since the 12th Century, or 850 years. It has largely remained unmodified for that period of time as well, aside from routine maintenance and a little restoration work of course! The house and gardens are absolutely beautiful and really enhance the landscape around it. The walled garden is particularly beautiful because it is set n a slope and offers fantastic views as well as Italian flavour that very few manor houses have because of the style in which the garden was arranged. Deer also still roam the park. As such, it is easy to spend a day just wandering around.

There is a mixture of old and contemporary culture in Stoner at the moment. There are Stonor family portraits going back hundreds of years, stained glass windows, drawings of the old Masters of art, European bronzes and contemporary ceramics from the Far East as well as England and Denmark. There is also 19th Century Paris wallpaper that can be viewed. You could see all of this because Stonor is open to the public between April and October every year and is well worth the admission fee. The garden actually has an old public footpath so that can be accessed throughout the year.

Finally, you can also visit the chapel that was added to the main building in the 14th Century. The Stoner family has been Catholic for its entire existence and did not waver from its faith during the Reformation either. As such, this adds a little to the importance of the house and the family that lived there. The stone chapel features a brick tower, which was one of the first of its kind, and still hosts Mass there today.

If this taster gives you just a glimpse at how magnificent Stonor is then just imagine what you can discover if you visit!