Historic-house lovers in search of a serious renovation project need look no further than Northamptonshire, where Crispin Holborow of Savills is handling the sale of the 321-acre Lilford Hall estate on the banks of the Nene, five miles from Oundle, at a guide price of £10m.
At the heart of the estate stands Grade I-listed Lilford Hall, an imposing, 32,400sq ft Jacobean house first built as a Tudor mansion in 1495 and substantially enlarged in 1635, before being sold in 1711 to Sir Thomas Powys, attorney-general to James II.
In the 1740s, the architect Henry Flitcroft carried out some major alterations for Sir Thomas’s grandson, also Thomas, installing the Georgian interiors, building the Georgian pavilions and adding additional storeys to the east end of the two wings.
Flitcroft also formalised the park by removing the village and church previously located to the south of the hall. The house was further remodelled and extended in the mid and late 19th and early 20th centuries by Sir Thomas’s great-grandson, Baron Lilford, and his descendants.
The estate remained in the Powys family until 1947, when it was sold to the Merchant Venturers. In 2004, the current owner and his family bought the estate and embarked on a partial restoration of the main house, including most of the ground floor and the south wing that now make up the family’s living quarters.
These parts of the house provide comfortable living accommodation, with grand, well-proportioned reception rooms and bedrooms, including the impressive entrance hall, panelled dining room and, overlooking the terrace of the south wing, the music room, library and theatre room.
Beyond that, however, things look very different. The rest of the 32,400sq ft house has been unoccupied for 50 years and now needs complete renovation, as do the Georgian pavilions (each more than 5,000sq ft) and various historic outbuildings.
Among these buildings is the dilapidated squash court, which is said to be the oldest private softball court in the world, built in about 1923 by the 5th Baron Lilford.
The Lilford Hall Estate is for sale via Savills at £10m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
18 things you really ought to know about Northamptonshire
From George Washington and Frances Crick to the Gunpowder Plot and Formula 1, you'll love our Northamptonshire trivia.
Credit: Knight Frank
A castle in the 'new Cotswolds' for sale with stone spiral staircases, 30 acres and a castellated roof terrace
Astwell Castle is a 15th century castle in Northamptonshire for sale that's full of history and absolutely bursting with potential.
Credit: Alamy
Oundle: Britain's most perfectly-preserved Georgian market town?
Matthew Rice pays homage to Oundle, a beautifully-preserved market town that is one of the jewels of Northamptonshire.
-
Wedgwood's craftspeople produce objects that dignify our lives daily in countless ways — here's hoping that better times lie aheadCountry Life's cultural commentator Athena analyses the concerning developments at Wedgwood.
-
'Nowadays, little separates the literati from the glitterati': Britain's literary festivals are this season's hot ticketsBritain is synonymous with the literary festival, says Will Hosie, and they are only growing in popularity.
-
A Dartmoor home with one rather unusual catch: King Charles III has the right to come along and fish in your streamThe Brimpstead Estate is a home in one of the most beautiful parts of Devon that has everything — including a very famous former owner. Toby Keel explains more.
-
A Georgian country house that's immaculate, unlisted and surrounded by 21 unspoilt acres of SomersetFinding a grand, 220-year-old home that's unlisted in a wonderful location is cause for celebration. Penny Churchill looks at Werescote, on the Devon-Somerset border.
-
A country house escape where 'legend has it that Shakespeare came to stay' while writing The TempestStanden House on the Isle of Wight isn't just a grand country home — it's a grand country home that has a claim to have hosted the most famous playwright in history. Could it really be true?
-
A vicarage designed by one of Queen Victoria's favourite architects, exquisitely refurbished to keep every ounce of original character — and even a few cracks and crumblesJust down the road from Soho Farmhouse, and under 20 miles from central Oxford, this home designed by George Gilbert Scott is a joy.
-
The blissful waterside home for sale that hosted the iconic 'Surrealists in Cornwall' party, where Man Ray, Lee Miller and Henry Moore let down their hairThe wonderful Lambe Creek House was the setting for a bohemian gathering of some of the most creative minds of the 1920s and 1930s. Today, it's up for sale; Penny Churchill tells is story.
-
'You simply would not move unless you had to': All the rumours about what The Budget could do to the property market in Britain — and what they'd mean for buyers and sellersMonths of speculation about a shake-up for property taxes has been taking its toll on the housing market in Britain. Annabel Dixon outlines the proposals which have been doing the rounds, and asks experts for their analysis.
-
A spectacular green oasis that offers a slice of country life in the very heart of one of the busiest places in LondonAmong the roads, rail and conference centres of Earls Court, there's a charming terrace where you can find homes that offer wonderful surprises — and they don't get much more wonderful than this one.
-
A breathtaking home created by a genius architect on one of the most beautiful headlands in Cornwall, on the market for the first time in almost 40 yearsIn 1932, a visionary architect bought a magnificently wild Cornish headland, and built some of the most beautiful homes in the West Country on it. One of them — The Gate House at Chapel Point, near Mevagissey — is on sale for the first time since it appeared in Country Life in 1987. Penny Churchill reports.
