Statesman Benjamin Disraeli and his wife Mary Anne had a significant influence on the styling of the country manor you see today. Disraeli hired architect Edward Buckton-Lamb to complete the transformation of Hughenden from a Georgian white stuccoed building into a Victorian country retreat. As you move through the rooms you will see the personalities of both husband and wife reflected in their tastes, and their status as rising members of Victorian high society.

Disraeli purchased Hughenden in 1848, shortly after becoming leader of the Conservative Party. Securing the manor was vital to the realisation of his political ambitions and his personal aspirations, and elevated him to the status of landed country gentleman.

In the main house the rooms are recreated as Disraeli would have known them, with the library full of his beloved books and the dining room set for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1877.

On the first floor is his study, bedroom and Mary Anne’s boudoir along with the black silk robe worn by Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer, which he notoriously refused to give up. A special display ‘Treasured’ celebrates 125 years of National Trust care, through pieces from the Hughenden collection with a story to tell.

On the top floor is a timeline of Disraeli’s history and a special exhibition, The Royal Gifts of Hughenden, based on Disraeli’s close friendship with Queen Victoria.

The rooms in the west wing tell the story of Hughenden’s requisition by the Air Ministry in 1941 when the manor became home to a secret map-making operation, code-named Hillside.