No one knows for sure who designed Barnham Court, a recently listed Grade I country house in West Sussex, England. However, Nikolaus Pevsner-art historian and author of the *Pevsner Architectural Guides-*summoned a guess: the same designer responsible for Kew Palace, once the family home of King George III, Queen Charlotte, and their children.
Recently listed exclusively through Savills for $5.4 million (4,500,000 British pounds), Pevsner and Ian Nairn-co-authors of the Sussex Pevsner Architectural Guide*-*described the 17th-century property as "the best of its date in the county" with proportions "more effective than many palaces." Ultimately, the duo concluded the home is "so similar to Kew Palace in Surrey that the same designer must surely have been responsible."
Barnham Court falls under the artisan mannerism style, which describes English architecture that was built and designed by masons rather than architects. Sitting on 6.2 acres of land, the property also includes both formal and informal gardens, an orchard, pond, swimming pool, and wooded area.
Inside, the five-bedroom country property features a formal hall room, a library, dining room, a great room, and two renovated 17th-century orangeries. The current owners of the property employed a local craftsman to carefully restore much of the building, honoring the style and history of the house. A self-contained one-bedroom cottage is also included on the property, in addition to a garage, gardener's shed, and other recently built courtyard buildings that could be used as an office space or for additional lodging.
"Barnham Court is simply one of the most stunning and architecturally important country houses to come to market in years," Phillippa Dalby-Welsh, the listing agent for the home, said in a statement. "With an abundance of exquisite period features, grand yet livable entertaining spaces and a thoughtful renovation, the house provides the perfect blend of a country lifestyle with modern amenities"
Kew Palace, which is theorized to be the "sister home" of Barnham Court, is the smallest of the royal palaces, and was originally built as a mansion for Samuel Fortrey, a London silk merchant, in 1631. George II and Queen Caroline were the first from the royal family to live in the home, though it was used by several generations of Georgian royalty, most notably the refuge for George III when he became ill. Barnham Court was likely also built for a rich merchant of the era, and even though there are many similarities, there are some differences as well. For example, the brick on Barnham Court is laid in an English bond, whereas Kew Palace features a Flemish bond.