Tucked away in the bucolic heart of rural Essex, half-way between Chelmsford and Colchester, one of the county's prettiest country houses has come up for sale via Mark Rimell of Strutt & Parker’s country department. ‘Offers over £4.6m’ are sought for Grade II*-listed Rivenhall Place at Rivenhall, which overlooks twin lakes at the heart of 68 acres of woods and rolling parkland designed by Humphry Repton, three miles from Witham.
It's the sort of place with which people fall in love. Indeed a previous owner, Kate Ashton, told Country Life back in 2013 that she had been so smitten she'd bought it almost on impulse: she had come to Essex looking for a cottage in which to spend weekends, only to end up buying a (then-somewhat-crumbling) Georgian mansion with dozens of acres of land.
Extensively restored in recent years (both by Mrs Ashton and those who took it on from her a decade ago) the main house offers 11,560sq ft of easy living space, including three fine reception rooms, a sitting room, study, kitchen/breakfast room and orangery.
The principal bedroom suite and four further bedrooms are on the first floor, and three more bedrooms and a games room on the second floor.
Amenities include a tennis court, a swimming pool and hot tub, the latter concealed behind mature yew hedges. The three-bedroom cottage adjoining the house is currently let through Airbnb and provides a useful income.
Early records suggest that the grounds of Rivenhall Place were part of a hunting park owned by Edith of Wessex, who married Edward the Confessor and was Queen of England from 1045 to 1066.
In 1590, the house was bought by Ralph Wiseman, the head of a Catholic family whose priest’s hole in the fireplace of the Great Hall can still be seen. Three generations later, the Wisemans sold the house to the Western family, who renamed it Rivenhall Place.
Repton took on Rivenhall Place as his first commission in Essex in 1789, adding the second lake and the bridge, as well as advising on the transformation of the house into the Georgian style.
Rivenhall Place is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £4.6m — see more details and pictures.
Colchester, Essex: The purpose-built capital city of Roman Britain
Clive Aslet considers the town that was one of Roman Britain's greatest cities — and even, for a while, its capital:
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
-
Canine muses: Lucian Freud's etchings of Pluto the whippet are among his most popular and expensive workIn the third edition of our limited series, we meet the dogs who've inspired some of our greatest artists.
-
Maybach SL680: A modern motoring marvel from the marque that once catered for Maharajas and movie starsThe Maybach name has been attached to many of Germany's most luxurious cars over the last century — so does the latest iteration live up to the reputation? Simon de Burton got behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 — but only after a quick pronunciation lesson.
-
Four country houses with their own tennis courts, as seen in Country LifeIf Wimbledon has put you in the mood for more tennis, Annunciata Elwes is here with a selection of homes with their own tennis courts.
-
The majestic New Forest estate formerly owned by a billionaire adventurer — famous for driving 'the world's fastest kettle' — has come up for saleGreat estates in the unspoilt setting of the New Forest are always a welcome sight on the market, and Newton Park is a wonderful example with a sad story to tell. Anna White tells more.
-
A Hampshire Manor for sale that dates back to the days of Alfred the Great, with the most beautiful staircase we've seen in yearsThe ten bedroom property features an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa complex and stables, and it was restored by the same architect who worked on Downing Street.
-
The new property hotspots where you can have it all: Beautiful houses, great schools and idyllic lifestyleAcross the country people are selling up and heading to the towns where there's no compromise on dream homes, outstanding schooling and the good life, according to analysis from two of Britain's top estate agents. Anna White explains.
-
Where Venice once ruled: The roving Venetians left handsome imprints across the Greek world, from its religion to its rambling villasMatthew Dennison explores the lingering traces of Venice's vanished empire — and the best places to buy where it once stood.
-
A delightful 16th century home with some of Kent's most beautiful gardens has come on to the marketThe Grange puts the 'garden' into the Garden of England.
-
A pristine Scottish island for sale at the price of a garage in FulhamA dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come on to the market, where you'll be surrounded by sea, living off grid and be neighbours with the local seal colony.
-
18 beautiful homes, from charming cottages to a Highland mansion with unbeatable views, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in the past week includes Georgian manor houses, charming commutable homes and the grandest home in Newcastle.
