Country pile on market for £50m

The house features state rooms and billiards in the basement

Ample stately home, eight bedroom suites, listed garden, own village, farms and racecourse, offers in the region of £50m.

Easton Neston, one of England's great country estates has been put up for sale by its owner Lord Hesketh.

The Grade 1 listed building in Northamptonshire has been in his family for almost 470 years.

The estate - being sold as a whole - is also home to Towcester racecourse, one of England's oldest private courses.

Easton Neston will always represent a truly delightful aspect of Britain's heritage Owner Lord Hesketh

Agent Knight Frank, which is handling the sale, says it is the most important in a generation.

Reports say the current Lord Hesketh, 53-year-old Alexander, has reluctantly decided to sell the 3,319 acre estate because of the cost of its upkeep.

The decision is said to have been prompted by a fire in July 2002 that damaged the north wing of the main house, which is still being renovated.

The grounds are home to parkland, farms and country shoots

Lord Hesketh, who is Conservative party treasurer, said: "Looking to the future I have decided to divest Easton Neston, an exceedingly special asset that has been nurtured by my family for many years.

"I have every confidence that, irrespective of a change of ownership, Easton Neston will always represent a truly delightful aspect of Britain's heritage."

With details considerably longer than the average semi, Easton Neston boasts a family home designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, famous for his work on Kensington Palace.

There is a listed garden, a farmhouse, further farms, six lodges, parkland and the racecourse.

The estate has had many famous guests, including Margaret Thatcher

Hulcote village, where four houses, 17 cottages and a school house circle the green, is also included under the multi-million price tag.

The house became the home of the Fermor family in 1535. In 1867 the Fermor and Hesketh families joined and made it their family home.

More recently it has been the home of Hesketh Racing, which built Formula One cars and achieved one victory for James Hunt in Holland in 1975.

Today it plays host to horse racing fans at Towcester, with its famously-steep uphill finish.