A spectacular Grade I-listed house with 80-acre grounds in the Hertfordshire countryside

Grade I-listed Moor Place, in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, has it all: elegant Georgian architecture, a rich history and 80 acres of leafy gardens and grounds. Alas, for the dreamers among us, it also has the price tag to go with such magnificence — Sotheby’s International Real Estate are marketing it at an asking price of £12 million.

The house was built by Scottish architect Robert Mitchell for James Brebner Gordon — the father of politician James Gordon, who had inherited the estate from his uncle — on the site of an earlier Elizabethan property. It was then expanded in later centuries.

Today, a grand red-brick façade embellished by stone dressings set the tone at this 14-bedroom property, its entrance door duly topped by the coat of arms of the Gordon family dating from 1779 and ground-floor windows framed by recessed arches.

Inside, it is a triumph of striking features, from the cantilevered staircase in the sky-lit central ground-floor hall to the grand fireplaces in the many reception rooms.

The dining room and the drawing room are particularly imposing and the library is the perfect place to retire after supper, glass of brandy in hand.

Upstairs are six bedrooms on the first floor, including the splendid master suite, and five more on the second floor. Additional accommodation is available in the west wing.

Outside, the 80-acre grounds encompass a mix of park, farmland and woodland, with a tennis court and a swimming pool.

Moor Place is for sale at £12 million via Sotheby’s International Real Estate — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Much Hadham: What you need to know

• Location: Much Hadham is situated 10 minutes away from Bishop’s Stortford, with its fast train link to London
• Atmosphere: Few churches in England can boast not one but two henry Moore sculptures, but Much Hadham’s St Andrew’s can. The church, which dates from the Middle Ages, is one of the many landmarks of this pretty village, which harbours many period buildings, including the 15-th century former Red Lion Coaching Inn, as well as the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green
• Things to do: Take in Henry Moore’s sculptures, go walking in Hatfield Forest or play tennis at the local clubs. A wide selection of shopping and entertainment options is available in nearby Bishop’s Stortford.
• Schools: St Andrew’s CE primary school in Much Hadham is rated good by Ofsted. The area also has a wide range of independent schools, including Bishop’s Stortford College in Bishop’s Stortford and St Edmund’s College in Ware.Find more properties in the area.

Credit: Knight Frank

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