The 2nd Earl of Lichfield built the present house, designed by James Gibbs, in 1722. In 1933, the house was bought by an MP, Ronald Tree, whose wife Nancy Lancaster redecorated it in partnership with Sibyl Colefax. During the Second World War, they allowed their friend, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, to use the house as his country retreat, as it was hard to spot from the air. Later, Tree sold the house and estate to The 7th Earl of Wilton, who owned it briefly before selling in 1953 to Sir David Wills of the tobacco family, who set up the Ditchley Foundation, for the promotion of international relations.