Exploring Hilton Park House
The house is full of surprises – a battered laptop sitting on the desk in the library, a cool vinyl record collection tucked away in the corner of the games room, a collection of hats from past Maddens (one still speckled with blood from a long-ago battle). There’s even a glove from a suit of armour perched nonchalantly on a windowsill in the entrance hall.
On the first floor, I discover Hilton Park’s fine reception rooms, where generations of Maddens did their entertaining. Each room is decorated with a seemingly casual scattering of antique furniture, fine art, family photos and books, and the effect is utterly charming.
I choose to settle down in the drawing room, where a log fire burns in the ornate marble fireplace, a cool glass of white wine stands on a table beside me and there isn’t a sound to disturb me. Outside, through the tall sash windows, the sky darkens to twilight.
