[1] It is set in 7.7 hectares (19 acres) of parkland[2] within the Bybrook River valley.

The site was a manor prior to its purchase in 1740, from the estate of Anthony Carew,[3] by the Wiltshire family.

The Wiltshires commissioned John Wood, the Elder to design the house and grounds.

Thomas Gainsborough was a frequent visitor and painted several canvases in the orangery of the house including that of Edward Orpin, Parish Clerk of Bradford-upon-Avon which is now in the Tate.

[4] Another visitor was William Pitt the Younger who was at Shockerwick when he heard about Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.