Built around 1679–80 as a gift for an Italian princess, it was modelled on the palatial forms recorded by Peter Paul Rubens in Palazzi di Genova (1622)—the influential volume that introduced Northern Europe to Genoa’s Renaissance palaces—the Grade II* limestone house is a rare example of Italianate classicism transposed into the English countryside.

The Grade II listed property is set on the lower slopes of Lansdown, in the heart of Bath’s most sought-after areas.

The spectacular English farming estate encompasses 741 acres of woodland and farmland, set at the south western end of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Grade II-listed Wilby Hall “has a real aura that is hard to find,” says listing agent Ben Rivett of Savills.

On the market with Savills, the Grade I listed house was built as a Tudor mansion in 1495, with the Jacobean exterior added in 1635, and later various Georgian alterations and additions.