Edward Clarke commissioned Thomas Strong Junior to build this elegant Baroque-style house between 1719 and 1721. He wanted it to be perfectly symmetrical and make the most of the natural light in the area. You can see Strong’s influence in the imperial staircase, beginning as two flights of stairs but twisting into one at the top. Successive owners of the house left their mark, too: Robert Vernon bought the property in 1833 and put the family crest of the Staffordshire Vernons on the pediment, and Lord Wantage, who founded the British Red Cross, added two cannonballs around the house’s entrance. The current owners, the Barings, have owned the house since 1939 and if you visit (open only during the summer months), you’ll see their family portraits on the walls of the house, including in the oak-panelled dining room.