AMONG THE UNDULATING FELLS of northern Lancashire, sheep grazing peacefully all around, sits Whittington Hall, the castellated Jacobeanstyle home of the 15th Lord Reay (pronounced “Ray”), Aeneas, and Lady Reay, Mia. Surrounded by extensive formal gardens, parkland, and orchards of damson and apple trees, the house overlooks the spectacular Lune valley and lies at the heart of its sporting estate, comprising fishing, shooting, woodlands, and dairy.
It was designed by George Webster, the prolific English architect based in Kendal in the first half of the 19th century—a period often referred to as the golden age of the English country house—and displays all his usual hallmarks: a grand imposing structure; informal turrets and chimneys; and long, tall windows to maximize light.
After Aeneas’s father bought the home in 1997, his stepmother, Victoria,…
