Chastleton House, Oxfordshire

Acquisition and endowment of Chastleton House, near Moreton in the Marsh, one of England's finest and most complete Jacobean Houses. It is filled not only with a mixture of rare and everyday objects, furniture and textiles collection since its completion in 1612, but also with the atmosphere of 400 years of continuous occupation by one family. The gardens have a typical Elizabethan and Jacobean layout with a ring of fascinating topiary and it was here that the rules of modern croquet were codified. The Trust has concentrated on conserving it rather than restoring it to a pristine estate.