A 'beguilingly beautiful' Grade I-listed home dating back to the days of Henry VIII, set in a charming hilltop village

Grade I-listed Gayton Manor, described as a ‘beguilingly beautiful’, 16th-century small manor house set in almost 4½ acres of gardens and grounds on the edge of the pretty hilltop village of Gayton, five miles from Northampton town centre. This gem in the East Midlands is for sale through Lindsay Cuthill’s Blue Book Agency and Savills in Banbury, the joint agents quoting a guide price of £2.95m for the house.

In all, Gayton Manor offers 6,139sq ft of elegant living space on three main floors, including four reception rooms, six bedrooms and three bathrooms, with room to install further bedrooms and bathrooms, if required.

Gayton Manor was originally built by Sir Francis Tanfield in about 1540 in the cruciform style similar to that of Lyveden New Bield near Oundle. In 1607, the manor was sold by Tanfield’s grandson to Sir William Samwell, a high-ranking Elizabethan courtier.

In 1755, it was acquired by landowner James Hawley, in whose family it remained until the 1970s. Gayton Manor is built of limestone with ironstone dressings and enjoys both privacy, thanks to its surrounding wall, and views over the surrounding countryside and the nearby Norman church of St Mary.

In 1994, the house was bought by its current owner, motor-racing enthusiast Crispian Besley, as a weekend retreat for himself and his family when he worked in investment banking in London; it later became their full-time family home.

During his tenure, the house has been sensitively modernised throughout, with 21st-century family living and entertaining in mind. In 2012, planning consent was granted to add a large open-plan kitchen/breakfast room and to convert the basement (the original kitchen) into a media and play room.

For sale at £2.95m via Blue Book Agency and Savills in Banbury — see more pictures and details.