Wilbury House


Wilbury House is a Palladian house in Wiltshire in South West England. It is a Grade I listed building, and the surrounding park and garden are Grade II listed.

History

It was built around 1710 by and for William Benson, a country esquire, in the style of Inigo Jones. The house and park was featured in Vitruvius Britannicus in 1715. Originally it had only a ground floor; a second floor was added later.
The house was sold again after the death of the owner Lady Maria St. Just in 1996. It was carefully restored in 2006.
The house is private and not open to the public, except for specific tours.

In media

The house was the filming location as Pendersleigh, the country house where Maurice visits his friend Clive, in the 1987 film Maurice. Lady Maria St. Just, an actress and trustee of the estate of Tennessee Williams, was a friend of Merchant and Ivory. In 1979 they had been weekend guests at Wilbury Park, which made an impression on James Ivory, and he chose this location for the film.