Built in 1795, Oakley Hall has a distinguished past.  Formerly owned by the Bramston family, close friends of Jane Austen, it is mentioned fondly in Austen's letters to her sister Cassandra at the turn of the 19th Century.

The character "Lady Bertram"was based on Mrs Bramston who herself thought that Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice were nonsence.  Ironically, she liked Mansfield Park!

Jane Austen lived in the neighbouring village of Steventon until she was 25 years old, and during this time she wrote some of her most beloved and remembered novels, including Pride & Prejudice.

She wasn't the only author to be inspired by Oakley Hall: Henry Fielding, creator of the immortal Tory Squire Weston, was also known to have enjoyed lengthy stays at Oakley.

Since those days many more visitors have been spellbound by the Hall and its stunning secluded grounds.  In 1860, a second storey  was added, making Oakley Hall the grand and impressive building we see today.

In 1940 Oakley Hall became the new residence of Hilsea College, a boarding school which had relocated from Portsmouth.

More recently the Fogarty family acquired this beautiful manor house and transformed it into the renowned Oakley Hall.