Newnham Paddox, Warwickshire
The seat of the Earl and Countess of Denbigh and Desmond
NEWNHAM PADDOX is one of the oldest and also one of the newest of English country seats. The property has descended in the male line of the Feilding family since 1433 and can claim a connection with it by marriage to the Newnhams as far back as the 12th century. Yet Alexander, the present, 12th Earl of Denbigh and his wife, Suzy, only moved into a newly built house, thought to be the fourth manifestation on the site, less than a year ago in July 2023. Their establishment marks a happy stage in a long story.
Typical of many English country houses, the previous building on the site was vastly amplified in the 19th century, leaving it a beached leviathan when the economic tide went out in the 20th century. After intervals of institutional use, it was demolished in 1952 and much of the estate sold. The present owner’s father, Rollo (short for Rudolph, a recurrent family name alluding to a legendary Hapsburg connection), the 11th Earl, erected a flat-roofed ‘Colt’ house in 1982 on the site of the old forecourt. By
