The launch onto the market of the pristine 327-acre Stokes Hall estate, a mile from the village of Althorne, two miles from the yachting haven of Burnham-on-Crouch and 20 miles south-east of the city of Chelmsford, is testament to the long-term vision and exemplary planning of the estate’s enterprising owner. He saw the potential of the dreamy Crouch Valley when, in the early 2000s, he began buying up the land and buildings that constitute today’s impressive farming, residential and amenity estate.
This secluded part of Essex is one of the driest and warmest parts of the UK, its particular clay soil ideally suited for producing still English wines, as opposed to the chalk soils of Hampshire, Sussex and Kent, which are best known for sparkling or Champagne-type vintages.
There are now more than 10 vineyards operating in the Crouch Valley, where the proximity of the River Crouch helps growers escape the dreaded early-spring frosts. Georgie Veale of Knight Frank quotes a guide price of £19.9 million for the Stokes Hall estate, which is being sold either as a whole or in up to 10 lots.
Lot 1, on offer at £9.9m, comprises the immaculate, Georgian-style main house set in 45 acres of formal gardens and grounds that enjoy far-reaching views over the river and include a 10-acre field suitable for the planting of vines.
Built to the owner’s design between 2007 and 2014, the mellow red-brick building incorporates a range of high-quality materials including hand-cut British stone, handmade bricks, hand-cut Welsh roof slates, cast-iron downpipes and handmade carved panelling by Norwich-based furniture makers Arthur Brett.
It stands at the end of a long, sweeping tree-lined drive, bordered by 17 acres of strategically planted woodland that allows a tantalising glimpse of the house, albeit sheltering it from the road.
Stokes Hall provides some 23,000sq ft of elegant accommodation on three main floors, with a state-of-the-art swimming-pool complex on the lower ground floor. The entrance hall opens directly onto an elaborate double staircase and leads to six spacious ground-floor reception rooms, including a vast drawing room with double doors opening onto a terrace overlooking the river, a dining room and sitting room/cinema with silk-lined walls, study and Pilates room/second study.
A large modern family kitchen boasts Italian marble and Gaggenau appliances. A conservatory extension forms part of the open-plan kitchen with views over the gardens and fully opening doors on all sides. The nine-bedroom house, which has consent to further extend, includes two apartments within the main building and comes with a three-bedroom guest/staff house.
Lot 1 also includes a four-bay garage with an apartment overhead and Round Hill Lodge, a three-bedroom cottage overlooking the river that has planning consent to extend. Consent has also been granted for the construction of a substantial estate office, machinery and helicopter complex. If time is of the essence, Battersea helipad is about 20 minutes’ flight away.
According to the agents, research published in 2018 recognised the Crouch Valley as one of the areas of greatest potential in England and Wales for premium viticulture and wine production; local wine buffs call it England’s Côte d’Or.
These findings were confirmed in 2019 by a suitability analysis commissioned by Stokes Hall estate from wine-growing experts Vinescape. Identified as particularly suited to viticulture is Lot 2, on offer at £1.695m. Currently farmed by a local farmer, it comprises 113 acres of arable land that slopes gently down to the river, together with 25 acres of nearby pasture and several copses and waterways.
Lot 3, for sale at £800,000, is the recently renovated, four-bedroom Stokes Hall Farm-house, which looks out across farmland towards the River Crouch. Lot 4, priced at £3m, is the redevelopment site of a range of farm buildings and an equestrian complex, which has planning consent for five houses; this lot includes three estate cottages, all of which have permission to extend by 30%.
Lot 5, priced at £500,000, is a separate three-bedroom cottage with outbuildings, front and rear gardens, and views over farmland, currently occupied by staff. Lots 6–10, priced together at £3.925m, consist of five parcels of farmland surrounding Stokes Hall, 159 acres in all, which also have potential for wine-growing within the sunny Crouch Valley.
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