A medieval Manor house that was once a royal hunting lodge has come to the market
Penny Churchill takes a look at the grand and delightful Brigstock Manor, in a charming Northamptonshire village.


The great forests of England have long been the preserve of the country’s royal and ancient families, who built hunting lodges in secluded woodland areas. Among the most picturesque is Grade II*-listed Brigstock Manor, set in four acres of gorgeous gardens on the edge of the conservation village of Brigstock, near Kettering, Northamptonshire, which has medieval origins as a hunting lodge within the Royal Forest of Rockingham. It is now for sale through Barclay Macfarlane of Savills at a guide price of £3m.
The present owners, who acquired Brigstock Manor in 2018, have completed a meticulous, eight-year-long refurbishment of the entire manor, which boasts many period pieces of note, among them the fine Jacobean main staircase and the 13th-century Great Hall. There is also a real curiosity in the vaulted first-floor ‘Solar’, or drawing room.
In all, it offers 9,700sq ft of elegant, well-ordered living space, including four grand reception rooms, a Bronte fitted kitchen and adjoining diner on the ground floor.
On the first floor you’ll find the aforementioned Solar, the family room, four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
There are four further bedrooms and two family bathrooms on the second floor.
According to its Historic England listing, the present manor was probably built by Thomas Montague in the late 15th century and extended by Roger Montague in the mid 16th century.
It later passed to the Dukes of Buccleuch, who had it restored in the mid 18th century and extended in the late 1880s by Northamptonshire architect J. A. Gotch.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
From 1936 to 1945, it was home to the film producer and director Herbert Wilcox, one of Britain’s leading film-makers from the 1920s to the 1950s. Thereafter, it was owned by British Steel until 1998, when it again reverted to private residential use.
Brigstock Manor is for sale at £3m — 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
-
LAPICIDA — Tile & Stone Specialist
Lapicida is a world-class specialist in luxury surfaces.
By Country Life Published
-
What lies beneath: The weird and wonderful things lurking in Britain's museum basements
From radioactive rocks to great white sharks, and a dolphin called Boris, the things stored in Britain's museum basements make the mind boggle — and now plans are afoot to improve visitor access.
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee Published
-
A converted bothy on the shores of Loch Tay from which to enjoy the fresh tastes of Spring
Waterfall Cottage offers four bedrooms and a garden that stretches right down to the lapping waters.
By James Fisher Published
-
An idyllic home in Hampshire that's perfect for the musical mind
Lyewood House sits in 3.5 acres and comes with a purpose built recording studio and an outdoor heated pool.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park
Old House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool
5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
By James Fisher Published
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Dorset
With 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventure
The interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of Pembrokeshire
A lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
By James Fisher Published