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Swallowfield

The manor house here, Swallowfield Park, has been associated with both royalty and other notables. The present house (unfortunately now a shell) was built in 1678 by Wren’s assistant William Talman for the 2nd Earl of Clarendon who acquired the estate upon marrying the heiress. In 1719, the park was purchased by Thomas Pitt, a former Governor of Madras, who used the proceeds of the sale of a large diamond he bought while in India. The diamond can now be seen in the Louvre Museum, Paris. The story of Pitt and his diamond provided the inspiration for the novel, The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins, who visited the house in 1860. The Italian Doorway, by Talman, is probably the house’s most outstanding remaining feature and it marks the entrance to the walled garden. Here can be found a dog’s graveyard where lies one of Charles Dickens’ dogs. The novelist had bequeathed the pet to his friend and owner of the house, Sir Charles Russell.