HOUSE prices in Oxfordshire have been steep for years, but this des res takes the biscuit.

Only the super-rich will be able to buy the Kiddington Hall estate, near Woodstock, which is being sold for £42m, following owner Maurice Robson’s split from his wife of 24 years, Chloe.

Stepping inside the Grade II-listed stately home, built in 1673, is like a journey back in time. Beyond the elegant dining room lies an orangery, which is often hired out as a wedding venue.

It lends itself to the larger family if needs be, with nine bedrooms on offer. There are also five reception rooms, spread over 18,914sq ft in the main house.

And naturally, any new owners are likely to have a housekeeper, with accommodation provided in a flat measuring 1,367sq ft.

Most of the main rooms are structured around the central staircase and face out onto the garden, making them feel light and spacious, according to promoters.

Outdoor space adds to the charm. The 2,050 acres include sculpted gardens and the village of Nether Kiddington, with 18 houses and a kindergarten.

But your property portfolio goes further. Beside the main house are 39 other properties, including a number of farm buildings and a 6,000 sq ft block let as offices.

Mr Robson, 65, put the estate up for sale on Monday.

Property agents say there is already a lot of interest in the estate and viewers will be shown around this week.

If the estate is sold as a whole, it will cost £42m, but it could be divided into 10 lots.

Mr Robson, who inherited the estate in 1982 from his father, accountant Sir Lawrence Robson, is understood to have put Kiddington Hall up for sale to meet the cost of a settlement with his estranged wife.

Mark McAndrew, above, of London-based Strutt & Parker, the selling agent for Kiddington Hall, told the Oxford Mail: “The sale is taking place for matrimonial reasons.

“We already have half a dozen people lined up to view the property and the viewings will begin today.

“People of significant wealth are looking for the house of their dreams and this is the perfect English country estate — it’s an absolute jewel.

“This is a stunning location and there is still significant wealth around, even in these recessionary times, so I would expect a sale to be completed by early October.

“When the super-rich want a house in the country, they immediately think of Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire or Gloucestershire.

“This is the talk of the village because the whole of the village is effectively included in the sale, and the people living here as tenants will get a new landlord.

“Estates of this size rarely come on the market and this is the finest for years.”

Mr McAndrew said Mr Robson told Strutt & Parker “quite categorically” that he did not want to discuss the sale or comment further.

Father-of-two Mr Robson, who was educated at Eton and Oxford University’s Christ Church, also owns the 17th-century Erchless Castle in the Scottish Highlands, which he also inherited from his father.

Mrs Robson told The Telegraph: “The whole divorce has been upsetting for us all.

“The children and I are now living in a farmhouse cottage nearby.”

Mr Robson’s father bought the house at Kiddington Hall for just under £115,000 in 1950.

The nine-bedroom hall is the most expensive country house to come on the market for five years, since the Easton Neston estate in Northamptonshire was put up for sale for £50m.

Mr McAndrew added: “The main house is lotted, with about 466 acres and a lodge and garden house.

“We are getting ready to show agents around, who will be acting for potential purchasers.”

Peter Jay, the mayor of Woodstock, said Mr Robson was well known in the area.

He added: “I have always found Maurice a very agreeable person. Quite a few years ago, my son attended a pre-school in Kiddington with one of his children.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk