Youngsbury House is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

house near

Wadesmill Wadesmill is a Hamlet (place), hamlet in Hertfordshire, England, located on the north side of the River Rib, with an estimated population of 264. At the 2011 Census the population of the hamlet was included in the civil parish of Thundridge. Run ...

, Hertfordshire, England. The stable block is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. The house was built in about 1745 by David Poole. There are 97 acres of grounds, and gardens landscaped by

Capability Brown Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style. Unlike other architects ...

. They are listed Grade II*.

People connected with it

David Barclay, the Quaker banker and abolitionist, bought the manor in 1769, and enlarged the house. A plan by Capability Brown the following year introduced a serpentine lake, using the waters of the

River Rib The River Rib is a tributary of the River Lea, which runs from Buckland in Hertfordshire, England. It flows into the River Lea to the east of Hertford. Course The River Rib originates near the East Hertfordshire village of Buckland, Hertfords ...

. Barclay sold it in 1793, after the death of his second wife, to William Cunliffe Shawe, and it passed in 1796 to

Daniel Giles Daniel Giles (c. 1725–1800) was a London merchant and banker, the son of Huguenot immigrant parents. Life Giles was Governor of the Bank of England from 1795 to 1797. He had been Deputy Governor from 1793 to 1795. He replaced Godfrey Thornton ...

. In 2012, it was for sale, "offers in excess of £3,900,000". As of 2015, it was owned by Jeremy Langmead, the former editor of ''

Wallpaper* ''Wallpaper'', stylized ''Wallpaper*'', is a publication focusing on design and architecture, fashion, travel, art, and lifestyle. The magazine was launched in London in 1996 by Canadian journalist Tyler Brûlé and Austrian journalist Alexander ...

'' magazine and ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' magazine, who used to be married to writer

India Knight India Knight (née Gisèle Aertsens; born 14 December 1965) is a British journalist and author. She writes for British newspapers, and has written the books: ''My Life on a Plate'', ''Don't You Want Me?'', ''The Shops'', ''Neris and India's Idi ...

. In 2017 it was sold to James and Claire Pearce who have restored it to better, but similar to, its original state. It is their family home for them and their three children. It took nearly three years to obtain all the required Planning and other permissions. However, the house itself was completed in February 2023 and the family occupied it. Youngsbury 2024

the family The gardens and other nearby features are to be completed, although the parkland remains open to walkers.

References

{{coord, 51.84284, -0.01427, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in Hertfordshire Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire Houses completed in 1745 Grade II listed houses Country houses in Hertfordshire Gardens by Capability Brown Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Hertfordshire Grade II* listed agricultural buildings in England