in about 1814. Elizabeth lived in the house until her death in 1843. The house was then left to Henry Hippisley of Lambourn, Henry's nephew, whose descendants lived there until the mid-20th century. John Preston Hippisley inherited the house in 1956 on the death of his father Richard John Bayntun Hippisley and in order to settle the liability for inheritance tax he sold Ston Easton. Subsequently, maintenance of the building was poor and the fabric decayed. In 1958 a Preservation Order was obtained to stop the building being demolished and adding to the growing trend of destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain. Restoration was undertaken by William Rees-Mogg who bought the building in 1964. Hotelier Peter Lawrence Smedley bought it from Rees-Mogg in February 1978 and carried out further restoration and converted it into a hotel. The house was sold again in 2001 to Von Essen Hotels. In June 2020, as a result of the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel went into administration. The building reverted to the existing owners, who now rent it out for events and weddings. In 2022 Ston Easton Park was on the market for £6 million. Architecture The two-storey house has a symmetrical facade with projecting wings either side of the central doorway with a Tuscan portico. The ashlar is dressed with plaster and stone to highlight architectural features. The rear of the building is plainer than the front and is without the plaster dressing. The interior is decorated with plaster mouldings and engravings on the ceilings and fireplaces. The entrance hall leads via mahogany doors to the by saloon. Further highly decorated rooms include the dining room and library. An octagonal bathroom contains a plunge bath used by Lady Hippisley which is believed to have been designed by Sir John Soane or one of his pupils such as George Allen Underwood. Ston Easton has gardens and landscaped grounds, laid out by Humphry Repton, of around and the remains of a park of between and . They include terraces and a pleasure ground in a steep sided valley. The grounds are listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Some of the earlier parkland is now used for agriculture and the Farrington Golf and Country Club. The single-storey stone stables, which are to the west of the main house, were built around 1769. They are in a