15 bedroom house

There could hardly be a more idyllic setting for a country house than at Efford Park which stands in the middle of 126.99 acres of beautiful parkland close to the south coast and the Solent. Approached through impressive entrance gates with brick piers and guarded by an attractive entrance lodge, the 580m main carriage drive is flanked by tall hornbeam hedges which nurture a sense of anticipation as visitors curve round a bend past the lake and approach the front of the house.

Either side of the drive are neat, well laid out paddocks with new parkland rail fencing, and screens of newly planted woodland, laid out by RHS Gold Medal winning designer Balston-Agius, supplementing the beautiful mature parkland trees and historic woodland. The carriage drive leads to a gravelled turning circle at the south front and continues to further parkland and the secondary entrance to the rear. Efford Park is listed Grade II * being of significant historical and architectural interest and, with a favourable mention in Pevsner, is undoubtedly one of the most prominent houses in the New Forest.

Efford Park had manorial status in the 11th century. Over the centuries it passed to various owners and in 1829 the estate was released to Colonel John Shedden, who built the present house in 1838 on a green field site. The Colonel died in 1843 when the estate was split between two main groups of beneficiaries, who sold the complete estate to Admiral Reginald Hastings and his wife Barbara, the Marchioness of Hastings, in 1846.

The Marchioness was renowned for her beauty, intelligence and exuberance and her love of travel and gambling. She was also one of the foremost collectors of rare vertebrate fossils, attracting the attention of many of the eminent geologists of the day, such as Sir Charles Lyell and William Buckland. Many came to Efford House to marvel at the collection in the specially constructed room which is now the gym. The collection still forms the core of the British Jurassic collection in the British Museum, which bought the collection from her when she sold Efford Park in 1851. The easterly avenue with other parts of the ornamental grounds were laid out by the Marchioness.

In 1853 the estate was sold to Warren William Richard Peacocke, who added the conservatory, built the ice house, added the orchard and developed the kitchen garden and installed greenhouses. Sir Jas Beethom Whitehead acquired the estate in 1907, extended it in 1925 and 1928 and it was during his occupancy that a cricket pitch and tennis courts were added. The estate was occupied by Allied Forces during the Second World War and in 1951 was acquired by the Ministry of Agriculture as a regional headquarters office and Horticultural Research Station.

The current owners bought the property in 1999 and undertook a full refurbishment, restoring original features, modernising all systems and returning the house and its surrounds to its original use as a substantial and impressive family home.

The house has wonderful proportions and high ceilings as typified by many houses of the Georgian era, with views over the park, fine panelling (particularly in the entrance hall) and an exquisite veranda giving shade to the ground floor and a viewing terrace for the master bedrooms above.

Beautiful landscaped gardens surround the house on three sides. To the north is a rose garden, tennis court, an outdoor swimming pool and sweeping lawns running down through lightly wooded grounds with some spectacular mature trees. A track leads down to a pretty stretch of the Avon Water, a beautiful river which is close enough to the sea to ensure a regular run of sea trout.

Large double gates lead into the walled garden and estate yard. Beyond is the newly installed water borehole which provides the estate with fresh water supply. A coach house has a workshop with 5 bays. Efford Park has a number of fields with parkland rail fencing and bounded by beautiful woodland.

Efford Park is situated

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Country Department