Eagle-eyed <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/adaptation-and-adaptability-jane-austen-beyond-the-page-1.609442" target="_blank">Jane Austen fans</a> may recognise Luckington Court — the 11th century dwelling that served as Longbourn, the home of the Bennet family, in the 1995 BBC adaptation of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/newsmaker-elizabeth-bennet-1.329980" target="_blank"><i>Pride and Prejudice</i></a>, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. In the book, the property was destined to end up in the hands of the insufferable Mr Collins, much to the distress of the Bennets, but in real life it is currently on the market and available to anyone with $7.3 million to spare. The Grade II* listed estate in Chippenham, Wiltshire, features original Tudor features, as well as elements introduced during a remodelling in the 16th century. It incorporates a main house, a stable block, outdoor riding school, dovecote, farm buildings and five cottages set on 7.6 hectares of grassland and woodland fronting the River Avon. Built from local Cotswold stone, the main house has eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms, complemented by self-contained annex accommodation. A quintessential English country dwelling, it features elegant, well-proportioned rooms, impressive ceilings and tall sash windows. A carved wood doorway is flanked by a pillared portico. There is a royal connection, as local history places Luckington Court on the site of a property owned by King Harold II, who was killed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The property was initially extended and remodelled in the 16th century by the Fitzherbert family, who owned it from 1632 until the early 1800s. Further additions include a new service wing introduced in 1921. Trevor Horn, the first director of the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials, and his family purchased Luckington Court in 1947. His daughter took over the property in 2003 and since then, has initiated an expansive modernisation programme across the entire estate. It offers solid farming, residential and commercial income streams. There is a large reception hall with limestone flooring, as well as a dining room with an open fireplace and access to a separate study. A large drawing room is characterised by its decorative woodwork and stone fireplace, and leads on to a music room. The first floor, home to the eight bedrooms, can be accessed via two staircases, while the second floor has a separate kitchen, sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and separate games room. The extensive lawns approaching Luckington Court are dominated by a 400-year-old Lebanese cedar tree, which has one of the largest girths ever recorded in the UK. A croquet lawn, paved terraces, pergolas and Roman-inspired portico provide plenty of areas from which to enjoy the great outdoors, amid wildflower meadows and silver birch, cherry, tulip and mulberry trees. There is also a separate rose garden. Even the notoriously prickly Mrs Bennet would be impressed. "A beautiful Grade II* listed 11th-century dwelling house with original Tudor features and 16th-century remodelling, integral secondary accommodation, five further dwellings [and] farm buildings, nestled within a ring fence of permanent pasture and woodland with River Avon frontage in Luckington village," writes the listing by Woolley & Wallis.
