Avington Park is set in the rich meadows of the Itchen valley.
During the Middle Ages the land was owned by Winchester Cathedral but on the Reformation the property was seized by Henry VIII and was later sold to Edmund Clerk.
His descendants lived here until 1665 when the manor was purchased by George Brydges, one of Charles II's courtiers.
The facade seen today was largely created by George Brydges.
The white-painted Tuscan portico which dominates the centre of the house is flanked on either side by four-bay brick wings. There is no accurate history but the work probably dates from the 1670s with some alterations in the early-18th century.
On the death of George Brydges's son in 1751 Avington Park passed to his cousin James Brydges, Marquess of Carnarvon, who became 3rd Duke of Chandos in 1771.
He carried out major alterations to the property. Three lead statues were added to the top of the portico, the sides of the wings were remodelled and the interior was transformed. In 1768 - 71 he also constructed the parish church which overlooks the lawn. The fountain on the lawn is said to have been moved here from the family's splendid house at Chandos in Middlesex which was pulled down in 1747.
When the 3rd Duke died in 1789 the title died out but it was revived for his son-in-law and in 1822 he became Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. The new Duke's ancestral seat was at Stowe in Buckinghamshire and he and his wife used Avington as a secondary residence. The Prince Regent and Mrs Fitzherbert frequently visited Avington Park.
In 1848 serious debt forced the 2nd Duke to sell the property to Sir John Shelly, brother of Percy Bysshe Shelly. Sir John built the unique pair of iron and glass conservatories that flank the South Lawn.
Avington Park remained in the hands of the Shelly family until 1952 when the contents were sold at auction and the property was acquired by the present owners.
Although much of the building has been divided into flats, several of the main reception rooms have been preserved virtually unchanged and are shown to visitors.
The brownish brick work of the house contrasts with the deep red-brick window surrounds and the white paintwork of the windows, balustrade and portico.
The interiors, dating from the late-18th and 19th centuries, were influenced by Continental taste.
The Entrance Hall has ceiling paintings by Clermont dated 1780. From here the main staircase leads to the empty Ballroom which has ceiling paintings attributed to Vicenzo Valdre, painted wall panels that probably date from the late-17th century building and late-18th century gilded pier-glasses.
The Red Drawing Room dates from late-18th century but was altered in the 19th century when royal figures from the medieval and Tudor periods were painted onto the walls and given elaborate surrounds. Furniture here includes some Empire-style pieces of the same period.
The final room to be viewed is the Library on the ground floor of the south wing. This has Pompeian-style paintings on black backgrounds flanking the fireplace and items commemorating the present owner's military career.
A door from the Library leads into one of the conservatories, flanking the South Lawn, which concealed the servants quarters.
The Georgian church of St Mary's can be seen in the grounds.
House & Garden: May-Sept: Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays, and Mondays in August;14:30-17:30
Tel: 01962 779260 Avington Park Website
