URPoint Details
SWALLOWFIELD (open land on the rushing stream)
The village near the meeting of the River Loddon and the River Blackwater is a charming village where Mary Mitford came to stay in 1851 and is buried in All Saints churchyard.
Swallowfield Park is a fine mansion built in 1678 for the 2nd Earl of Clarendon. In 1820 the house was remodelled, and many famous people have stayed here including Charles II, Queen Anne. In 1719 the house passed to Thomas Pitt, grandfather of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, who was a diamond merchant. The Pitt diamond, as big as a plum, became part of the French State jewels.
- Type:
- Landmark