The Hippisley family had been
lords of the manor of
Ston Easton and surrounding areas since the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in the mid-16th century. They acquired several local manors, some in association with
William Rosewell. Preston Hippisley bequeathed the manor of Ston Easton to his daughter who married John Coxe of
Leigh, Wiltshire, a
Member of Parliament for
Milborne Port. Her son John Hippisley-Coxe married an heiress, Mary Northliegh of
Peamore in the parish of
Exminster in Devon, and with his increased wealth commenced the building of the present mansion. They moved from the old
manor house next to the parish church of
St Mary The Virgin, Ston Easton to an ancient gabled
Tudor house and started to convert it into a
Palladian mansion with landscaped parkland and gardens. The identity of the architect is not known, and although the design is reminiscent of the work of
William Kent modern research tends to suggest
Thomas Paty. It is also not known exactly when the house was built. John Hippisley-Coxe died in 1769 and his sons
Richard and
Henry further embellished the house and grounds. Henry Hippisley-Coxe employed
Humphry Repton to landscape the park, including driveways and a viaduct similar to his plans for
Endsleigh Cottage in Devon, although only part of this plan was actually created. 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==