The house, which was designed by John James in the Palladian style, was built for Lady Mohun and completed in 1724.[2] It was acquired by Admiral Lord Gambier in 1802 at which time the garden was full of unusual pansies.[3] After use as a Polish refugee camp during the Second World War,[4] it fell into disrepair and was acquired by the Ministry of Works in 1957 and was subsequently restored.[5] It was bought by Mr and Mrs James Howie Mitchell in 1961[6] and by Sir Tom Stoppard and his wife, Miriam Stoppard, in the 1970s and they sold it on again in 1997.[5]