The Deanery

The Deanery is a country house with surrounding walls and large gardens directly next to St Andrew's Church in Sonning. The building follows Arts and Crafts principles with local materials and crafted detail throughout the construction.

Edwin Lutyens built the house between 1899 and 1901 for Edward Hudson, founder of Country Life magazine. Hudson wanted to create an example of contemporary English domestic architecture and commissioned Gertrude Jekyll to design the gardens.

The estate shows a collaboration between architect Edwin Lutyens and gardener Gertrude Jekyll from around 1900. Their joint work shaped English domestic design at the time and is now seen as an example of how house and garden can form a single whole.

The estate remains privately owned and is not open to the public. The tower of the neighboring church offers views over the walls into the gardens during opening hours.

Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin owns the estate and has added northern extensions. Despite these changes, the original character of the house from around 1900 remains recognizable.

Location: Sonning

Inception: 1901

Architects: Edwin Lutyens

GPS coordinates: 51.47446,-0.91137

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:31