With few important country houses being offered for sale in Suffolk so far this year, Mark Rimell of Strutt & Parker has set the ball rolling with the launch onto the market of historic Priory Hall, which sits in 21 acres of glorious gardens and grounds on the edge of the ancient market town of Hadleigh, halfway between the larger towns of Sudbury and Ipswich.
He quotes a guide price of £3.5 million for the impressive Tudor-style house, once owned by the Priory Church of Canterbury Cathedral, which is described by Historic England as ‘a large much-restored building with a probable 16th-century origin… the front has a number of gables and upper storeys projecting [with] all timber framing exposed and all chimney stacks built in 16th-century manner’.
Previously known as The Manor, Hadleigh, Priory Hall’s Grade II listing was awarded for the ‘original work’ done by restorers and the building’s ‘general appearance’.
Much excellent work has been carried out by the current owners, who bought Priory Hall in 1993 and have spent the past 30-odd years improving the house and gardens.
To this end, they have added an impressive swimming pool and leisure facilities, updated kitchen and bathrooms and established a thriving wedding venue centred on the vaulted Tudor grand hall, the well-timbered drawing and dining rooms, and the magnificent gardens. However, with a maximum of 25 weddings a year and no wedding guests housed on site, the hall remains, above all, a wonderful family home.
The main house offers 10,247sq ft of flexible accommodation on two floors. In addition to the three main reception rooms, it provides a comfortable family room, a sitting room with a period fireplace and, leading off the kitchen/breakfast room, a second dining room for informal gatherings, with doors opening to the gardens.
The first floor houses a large principal-bedroom suite, five further bedrooms and five bathrooms, all of which enjoy views over the gardens and the surrounding farmland. The property comes with an array of secondary buildings, including a separate cottage, a pavilion, three double garages, barn, stores and stables.
Priory Hall is for sale for £3.5 million with Strutt & Parker — see their website or call 020–7318 5205.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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