Asthall and Swinbrook

Asthall Manor - birthplace and home of the Mitford sisters; the family later moved to Swinbrook
Nancy was a famous novelist (The Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate); Unity a great admirer of Hitler, and Diana - 'rated more perfect than Botticelli's Venus' - married Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists. Jessica was an ardent socialist; Pamela was happiest in the country with her dogs; and Deborah, married the Duke of Devonshire, helping to re-establish Chatsworth as one of the 'Treasure Houses of England'
Asthall's Maytime Inn owned for many years by May and Tim Morgan
In Swinbrook Church, dating from c1200, are the fine Fettiplace tombs, memorials to the family who lived here for over 300 years: the recumbent figures lean on one elbow so that they fit in the confined 'bunk-style' space! Swinbrook Church - Fettiplace Monuments Swinbrook Church - Fettiplace Monuments
Four Mitford sisters - Nancy, Unity and Diana, with Pamela a short distance away - are now buried in the graveyard