(From top): One of Ditchley Park’s many living rooms; the mansion that served as Churchill’s weekend headquarters during World War II; a glimpse of Ditchley’s sprawling green premises; the four-poster bed on which Churchill reportedly slept; the elegant dining room

This has to be English country living at its finest. Think fragrant lemon blossoms, sprawling emerald lawns, silvery lakes and no, not a twee English cottage, but a massive 18th century mansion. This — and a lot more — is Ditchley Park for you!

An hour-and-a-half away from the maddening lifestyle of London and about 20 minutes from the academic town of Oxford, Ditchley Park in north Oxfordshire is nestled in the wooded, pastoral England countryside — and will come as sure-fire succour to any hardened city slicker. Just ask me!

The first thing that struck me about Ditchley Park were the many cows ambling across its acreage. I wanted to take a closer look at the hulking white and brown creatures, but a warning from my friend had me preferring the security of our car. “They may look innocent but they’re dangerous and will attack,” he said. Nevertheless I couldn’t help but make mental comparisons with the skinny bovines that roam the streets back in Calcutta. Of course, it helped that the cows of Ditchley Park had 3,000 acres of green grass to chew and grow chubby on.

The greens — formerly the royal hunting ground of Wychwood Forest — surround the 18th century residence, which comes with an interesting history of its own. Back in the day, the mansion served as the site of a number of distinguished international meetings, most notably during World War II when it occasionally became the weekend headquarters of that most famous British bulldog, Sir Winston Churchill.

When I finally arrived at the steps of the mansion through the long winding glades, the huge doors were thrown open and I was immediately transported into the world of 18th century architecture. There was a spread of living rooms, conference corners, bedroom suites, separate bathrooms (that floor space alone would put to shame any modern-day apartment) and of course, the oh-so British library.

Sarah Strouts, one of the hospitality managers of the mansion shared nuggets of information with anyone willing to lend her an ear. “Sir David Wills acquired Ditchley Park in 1953. Since he lived in Sandford St Martin nearby, he was primarily interested in Ditchley’s farmland and forest, rather than acquiring the mansion as a private residence,” she said.

The history lesson continued. “Being a passionate transatlanticist, Sir David in consultation with his friends and acquaintances, developed the idea of establishing a venue for regular Anglo-American dialogue. The Ditchley Foundation was incorporated in the United Kingdom in 1958 and American and Canadian affiliates were established subsequently,” went Sarah.

Lesson over, I lumbered up a carpeted, wooden staircase and checked into my bedroom suite complete with four-poster bed, decorative art and heritage furniture. At this point, all I could do was to sit still at the window seat and gaze out as far as my eyes allowed. It was hard not lose yourself in the scene — a never-ending expanse of rolling greens on one side and a beautiful lake fringed by a forest on the other.

After a while of just gawping at what lay outside, I turned my attention to the house itself and went about exploring its many nooks and corners. Ditchley Park has 29 bedrooms in the main mansion. Add to that a further eight bedrooms in the East and West Wings, and four bedrooms in Lower House, which stands about 300 yards from the main building. All the bedrooms and meeting rooms are not equipped with telephones, television or network points. “We encourage a relaxed and undisturbed environment for discussion,” an official dutifully pointed out.

One of the living rooms I found, opened into The Parterre and Italianate Garden. Here the manicured lawn and hedges make a perfect setting for an informal tête-à-tête even as carved lion heads at strategic positions stare down at you.

Now what’s an old English house without any secrets? I hoped Brigadier Galloway, the bursar who took us on a guided tour of the mansion would spill some juicy bits about its past. And he didn’t disappoint, deftly leading our group from room to room explaining royal connections and throwing in scraps of gossip to his eager audience.

“The mansion at Ditchley was built by the second Earl of Litchfield, a member of the Lee family, in 1722 to a design by James Gibbs. The original owners, the Lee Family, had hosted English monarchs there since the days of Queen Elizabeth I,” Galloway told us. As the group trudged from the Velvet Room to the White Drawing Room and then to the Library and finally to the drawing room, an hour had passed — and a very informative one at that. Brigadier Galloway’s pride in Ditchley was obvious — “Some scenes from the films Black Beauty and Vanity Fair were shot in this mansion,” he also declared loftily.

In a true British tip-of-the-hat to the arts, there’s also a small theatre on one side of the mansion. A 68-seater, it offers overnight guests the chance to watch a performance or a classic film. Then, there’s the fare rustled up in the huge kitchens of the mansion. I’d heartily recommend the lasagne and lamb chops so eagerly ferried into the dining room by the young waiters.

Ditchley Park allows the premises to be used by the public for conferences and conventions for about 10 weekends a year. Like a lot of other stately houses that dot the English countryside, Ditchley also opens its doors to private groups trooping in to take a dekko. “Visits by people interested in Ditchley’s beauty, history, art and architecture may be arranged, but Ditchley Park is not available for use as a venue for weddings or any other social events,” an official told us sternly.

My time at Ditchley came to an end almost too soon. But I knew the next time I had a day to spare while visiting London, I’d hop on the train from Paddington and make a quick trip to Ditchley. It’s one of the best ways to clear the mind of the city’s excesses and just let the countryside take over.

Photographs by the author