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The Bucklebury Estate is the oldest landed Estate in Berkshire
and one of the oldest Estate’s in the country.
The Estate extends to approximately 1600 acres in the parish
of Bucklebury and Stanford Dingley and comprises of farms,
forestry, residential and commercial property.
The Estate is situated in central Berkshire in the heart
of the Pang Valley. The River Pang flows through the Estate.
The Estate also owns Bucklebury Common.
Bucklebury House is situated at the centre of the Estate
and is surrounded by formal gardens and parkland. The House
has an interesting series of outbuildings including a Dovecote,
Stable Block, Carriage House, Theatre and Chapel. The old
kitchen houses an interesting fan-propelled spit and range.
The House also includes one of the country's oldest bathrooms
together with a oval shaped lead bath dating back to the early
18th century.
Reading Abbey owned the Bucklebury Estate from (1127) until
the Dissolution of the Monastries in 1538. John Winchcombe,
son of Jack of Newbury, purchased the Estate in 1540 and it
has descended through the same family to the current owners,
Mr & Mrs Willie Hartley Russell.
Today The Bucklebury Estate is a working Estate and includes
an in-hand farm, let farms, forestry operations and grazing
rights.
Bucklebury Farm Park (see link), owned by Rupert Hartley
Russell, is open to the public and is home to a herd of Red
Deer and other animals.
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