If you’ve been seduced by the dazzling period properties featured on screen recently—Bridgerton, The Crown and Downton Abbey anyone?—then you've perhaps pondered the idea of owning your own country house estate one day. Well, as approved plans for the UK’s largest new house show, you don’t need to wait for an authentic old home to come on the market, you could just build one yourself. Click or scroll through and discover the plans for this modern stately home of mammoth proportions...

At a staggering 74,000 square feet, this enormous estate, known as St John's House, has not been imagined for modest living. Its interiors have been inspired by one of the filming locations for The Great Gatsby and when finished, it will include over 80 rooms, two swimming pools, a tennis court and even a car museum.

Though on first inspection, with its sweeping staircases and elegant archways, it may look like a creation of Robert Adam, the 18th-century architect renowned for his neo-classical country houses, the designer of this house is actually his modern-day namesake, Professor Robert Adam, a favoured architect of Prince Charles.

The house has been designed for a 60-acre estate that sits just outside the Cotswolds village of Chipping Norton—an enviable location in the ‘Golden Triangle’ between the Cornbury Estate, Blenheim Palace, and the Glympton Estate. The new owners will be in good company as the village attracts an array of rich and famous residents, including celebrities and politicians, who come to set up home here.

So, let's take a little tour and see what prospective buyers of this dream home, which listing agent Sotheby's International Realty describes as a “masterpiece”, can expect when work is finished. Owners and their guests will enter the estate via a set of grand gates that will transport them from the ordinary world outside into the exquisite parkland within.

A huge tree-lined driveway takes you through the grounds, allowing you to grasp the scale of the estate before you glimpse the main house in the distance. If this ambitious project is realised, St John's House will be the largest new home to be built in the UK for over a century.

As well as imagining the mansion, the architect's plans also feature stunning landscaped gardens with colourful plantings and manicured trees, as well as numerous additional outbuildings. It's the kind of place we can imagine the Bridgerton siblings promenading under the watchful eyes of high society.

The driveway brings you around the back of the property and shows the semi-subterranean levels of the house. These lower levels have been designed to house an indoor leisure centre, a bowling alley and a garage that will house an incredible 50 cars.

Saving the best to last, the driveway eventually brings you round to the front of the property, which has an elevated aspect. Here, you can see the upper floors where 10 bedrooms will be situated—including a 6,000-square-foot master suite that will occupy the entirety of the top floor. There's also a lavish ballroom worthy of Gatsby-style parties and a selection of large reception rooms, all with stunning views of the estate and countryside throughout.

Among the mansion's many Palladian features is the symmetrical portico with its pitched roof supported by columns, which references the classic architecture of country homes of the past. Sotheby's International Realty is keen to point out though that this house offers a modern take on the style, pushing the design tradition forward.

The main building will be flanked by two wings, which extend forward. According to floor plans, these wings will house a sunroom, music room, games room and guest accommodation. There'll be no need to sleep on a sofa bed at this house!

The listing makes no bones about the fact this property has been designed and conceived for the most discerning buyer in the world, like a precious jewellery box for housing their most cherished possessions, from world-class art to antiques, to thoroughbred horses. While it looks pretty spectacular from the outside, the interior finishes will no doubt be as impressive once it's complete.

But, (and this is a big but) the house hasn't actually been built yet—though permissions have finally been granted following a painstaking 24-year planning application process. This means that the new owner will have to bide their time and wait for the home to be constructed, so at present viewings pretty much amount to taking in the plot's beautiful Cotswolds surroundings.

As you can see from this image, though the gate posts are in place, there's still a lot to do to transform this site into a Great Gatsby-style spread and it would likely take at least two years after purchase to complete the build. However, the good news is that buyers can configure the internal spaces to their exact requirements and ensure security requirements are up to scratch.

Sotheby's International Realty listed the magnificent estate for £20 million ($25m) in February 2022, but anticipates that by the time work is finished, it could be worth a staggering £100 million ($123m)—how's that for an investment? The listing has since been taken down, so perhaps a billionaire buyer is busy bringing this ground-breaking mega-mansion to life. Now all we have to do is figure out how to score an invite to the inaugural house party...

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