Hackwood Park has been put back on the market for £65m

Listed by Savills, Hackwood Park has been put back on the market for a whopping £65m, with monthly mortgage payments costing £359,591 – more than the average cost of a house in Basingstoke, which is £356,051.

The last time the home was for sale in 2022 it was believed to be the most expensive estate ever to be sold publicly on the market.

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At the time, the price was available on request, reported to be £65m.

Now, Savills has advertised the 21-bedroom, 19-bathroom property as costing £65m which includes four estate cottages, a deer park, ancient woodland and Grade II listed stables and coach house on 260 acres.

Any prospective buyers may be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to further information being released along with references and evidence of financial standing before a viewing can be arranged, because of the ‘sensitive nature of this property’.

The mansion was built in 1683 and comes with a gym, sauna, outdoor and indoor pools, a library, stables, spa, tennis courts and staff quarters.

It is described by Savills as having a ‘sweeping drive’ which leads to an ‘immaculate pasture and parkland where sheep and deer nestle under century old trees’.

Savills says the historic house has been ‘painstakingly restored to its nineteenth century grandeur complete with original detailing and craftsmanship’.

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It adds: ‘Whilst infinitely beautiful and grand it readily fulfils its function as a home for entertaining; easily accommodating family, guests and staff. It is skilfully designed for a life with service, having numerous staircases and ancillary rooms to allow staff to discreetly pass between family and entertaining areas.’

Outside, there are botanical gardens and grounds which hold as much historic interest as the house and have a rich botanical architectural story to tell.

The layout of the gardens dates back to the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and their design is attributed to Charles Bridgeman and James Gibbs.

Spring Wood is thought to be the sole surviving example of a garden wood that is laid out in the French style, with eight sectors divided by walkways, many of which hide historic wonders including a temple, a fountain and an amphitheatre.

An article on the history of the house, by Friends of the Willis Museum, states that the house was built in the style of a very large hunting lodge with a Tudor style banqueting hall and ancillary rooms, with much of the furniture supplied by Basingstoke craftsmen.

It was occupied by the Duke of Bolton until the family left in 1850 and the house was let with all of its furniture.

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Tenants over the years have included Lord Westbury; the attorney general and chancellor of the exchequer, Charles Hoare; one of the brothers who founded the famous bank, the Earl of Wilton; the Queen of the Belgians and her family after they were evicted from their native land by the Germans in the First World War; and the Marquis Curzon, a retired viceroy of India.

In 1935 Hackwood estate was sold to Sir William Berry, who became Lord Camrose.

He used his home to entertain many rich and famous people, including royalty, ambassadors, prime ministers and entertainers.

He spent money renovating and refurbishing the house, before giving it to the Royal Canadian Army as a hospital, free of payment in 1940, with the condition that it would be restored to him after the war in the same condition.

More than 16,500 troops were treated there and by 1945 it had become the Basingstoke Neurological and Plastic Surgery Hospital, which later moved to Park Prewett Hospital in Rooksdown.

The Second Viscount Camrose, who inherited his father’s title, lived in the house with his wife Princess Aly Khan, whom he married aged 78 in 1986.

Princess Aly Khan, the mother of Aga Khan and his brother, inherited a life interest in Hackwood when Lord Camrose died.

Following her death in 1997, the family wanted to sell the house, its contents and the estate, but struggled to find a buyer.

Eventually, the furniture was sold and the properties were sold to a business consortium, which split the estate into small units.

The house, stable block, three cottages and 160 acres were sold to one buyer, preserving the historic mansion.