There are round, unusual and historic houses, but few come together in quite such an intriguing fashion as Round House Farm, Finedon.

Andrew, the youngest son of the Corney family

The home of the Corney family for 100 years, the stone house with its turret and plaque commemorating the visit of the great Lord Wellington, is still the hub of a busy working farm with sheep, cattle and arable.

It is also home to Joyce and John Corney and their six sons, who range in age from two to 21.

The Round House is actually in the parish of Burton Latimer, where the boundaries of Addington, Woodford and Finedon meet.

The Duke of Wellington, a national hero after defeating Napoleon's army at the Battle of Waterloo often visited the county and stayed with his friend General Arbuthnot at Woodford.

He is said to have commented that the countryside between Finedon and Woodford, looking towards Burton Latimer, reminded him of the battle.

So, General Arbuthnot built the Round House to view the panorama which allows 40 churches to be seen from the top, including Naseby.

A large plaque bears the words Panorama, Waterloo Victory, June 18, AD 1815, and there is a chimney and balcony on the top.

Mrs Corney is proud of the family's history at the farm and her husband has collected stories about the place.

She said: "They told us that 100 years ago, it was a public house. But there was so much drunkenness that they lost their licence."

The original Corneys moved to the farm, travelling by horse and cart.

Today, the building is a real family farmhouse with a huge kitchen, comfortable sitting rooms, four bedrooms, large gardens and stone outbuildings.

In the Round House itself a lounge-cum-playroom has a feature stone fire­place and wooden beams.