Eagle-eyed Jane Austen fans may recognise Luckington Court — the 11th century dwelling that served as Longbourn, the home of the Bennet family, in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, 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 key details
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.
What’s the story
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.
The broker says…
"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.
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Cashew%0D%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202020%0D%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Ibtissam%20Ouassif%20and%20Ammar%20Afif%0D%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%0D%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%2410m%0D%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Mashreq%2C%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
