Ascott, near Wing in Buckinghamshire, England, was little more than a half-timbered farmhouse built in the Jacobean period when it was purchased by the de Rothschild family in 1876. Over the next 75 years the house was enlarged and remodeled as a showcase for the family collections of Oriental porcelain, paintings, and fine furniture. The house is set in enjoyable gardens, composed of an unusual mix of formal Victorian and 20th century informal plantings, a mix of trees, shrubs, and informal walks. The most striking feature of the gardens is a large topiary sundial.
