Hughenden, the country home of Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister, in Buckinghamshire.
Address: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 4LA.
Dog-friendly Hughenden is well know as a country home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1868; 1874–1880), and his wife Mary Anne. Benjamin Disraeli is often described as ‘the most potent myth-maker in British history’ and Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister.
Disraeli purchased the estate in 1848 for £35,000, when he became the Conservative Party leader. The place was intended to be not only a family home but also a setting for shaping his personal story in order to become a leading political figure. Born in 1804 into a middle-class Jewish-Italian family, the ambitious young man was looking for independence and financial security.
Benjamin Disraeli knew that words had enormous power, and he used myth-making to create his public image and to promote his political ideas. And the purchase of Hughenden was part of the plan, because ‘county members had to be landowners’. It should be noted that Queen Victoria visited Hughenden once, in 1877, when Disraeli was alive.
The Hughenden Estate is surrounded by a vast parkland. At the rear of this red brick manor you will find a picturesque Italianate style garden with a terrace and Florentine vases. It is said that Disraeli enjoyed strolling in the garden and feeding his peacocks.
The family life of Benjamin Disraeli was no less interesting than his political career. In 1839, he married Mary Anne, a sailor’s daughter and a wealthy widow, twelve years his senior. Inside the house, you will see a carriage door displayed on the wall. There is a story saying that Mary Anne was in the carriage with her husband on their way to the House of Commons. As the door closed it crushed her thumb. Mary Anne chose not to draw attention to her injury and not to distract Benjamin from preparing for his important speech.
Benjamin and Mary Anne Disraeli lived in Hughenden from 1848 to 1881 and, on death, were both buried in the Church of St Michael and All Angels Church in Hughenden, close to their family home.
The following story of Hughenden had a lot of twists and turns. In 1893, Hughenden was inherited by 14-year-old Coningsby Disraeli, the nephew of Benjamin Disraeli, who later added some modern alterations to the house like plumbing and electricity. During the Second World War, the manor became a top-secret map-making base, code named ‘Hillside’. Since 1947, Hughenden has been under the care of the National Trust.
Dogs at Hughenden
Hughenden is a two pawprint rated place. This means that dogs are allowed in some areas, but not everywhere. You can walk with your dog around the formal garden, in the parkland and at the Stableyard Café. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in the house.
There are four dog-friendly walks at Hughenden, from a one-mile stroll to a four-mile hike through woodlands that surround the estate.
Opening times
10:00 – 16:00 (Garden), every day.
11:00 – 15:00 (House), every day.
Admission fee
£15.00 for adults, £7.50 for children
or free for the National Trust members.
Parking
Free for visitors.
Website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/hughenden
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