The manor was the inspiration for Weatherbury Farm in Thomas Hardy's novel, Far from the Madding Crowd.

The house was built in the early 17th century, when the manor was owned by the Earls of Suffolk.

[1] It remained in the possession of the Strangways, who in 1756 became Earls of Ilchester, until 1911 when it was sold to Captain Gerald Carter.

[2] The gardens were laid out by Percy Richard Morley Horder when he undertook remodelling of the house in 1911.

[9] The gate piers, the stables, and some of the garden walls have their own Grade II listings.