The original owner Joshua Scrope put the house up for sale in 1803 and it was bought by the Waldegrave family.

[9] In 1771 he married Mary Vivian who was the Scrope heiress and the couple went to live in Long Sutton.

[13] The couple lived at Harptree Court until 1803 and then moved to London advertising the house for sale.

[16] She was the widow of George 4th Earl of Waldegrave and in 1810 she inherited Strawberry Hill House in London from her great uncle Sir Horace Walpole.

In 1802 he entered the army and quickly rose through the ranks becoming Lieutenant Colonel in the 54th Foot in 1812.

George Edward Waldegrave (1816-1846) was only 19 when he inherited the family estates and he quickly ran into debt.

In 1842, because of his financial difficulties, he sold all of the family treasures at Strawberry Hill House and the couple moved to Harptree Court to live.

[21] She was born in 1829 and was the only child of Richard Hanbury Gurney, a Member of Parliament, who owned Thickthorn Hall in Norfolk.

[22] This divorce caused quite a scandal as it was granted on the grounds of her eloping with her footman from Catton Hall, William Taylor.

The 11,746 square feet (1,091.2 m2) house was built of Bath Stone in a neoclassical style with the front having 13 bays.

[1] The gatepiers at the lower lodge have chamfered rustication and moulded cornices with elliptical ball finials.

[2] There are similar gatepiers at the upper lodge north of the house,[3] and another at the entrance to the stable yard.