The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII freed up large tracts of land throughout East Anglia, allowing the newly rich gentry to create farms and estates on former monastic lands. In the late Tudor period, they built grand country houses for themselves, together with farmhouses and cottages for the tenants who worked the land. Almost 500 years later one of those, Coggeshall, has come to the market.
The building material of choice was often brick, first introduced from the Low Countries in the late medieval period — some imported as ballast aboard ships exporting English wool to the continent, others made in brickyards established in East Anglia by Dutch immigrants.
It was all part of a tradition of fine craftsmanship that still survives throughout the region, as can be seen in a number of meticulously restored houses that have recently come up for sale.
Launched in Country Life at a guide price of £2.95 million through the Chelmsford office of Strutt & Parker, Grade II-listed Coggeshall Hall near Kelvedon, Essex, is an immaculate country house of great character set amid the open countryside of north Essex, with 12 acres of formal gardens and pasture bounded to the east by the river Blackwater.
Described by selling agent Mark Rimell as ‘a house of two halves’, it comprises a late-16th-century house built, according to its Historic England listing, ‘circa 1575, mainly timber-framed and plastered with some weatherboarding and plum bricks in Flemish bond, roofed with handmade red plain tiles, with an early 19th century cross-wing of plum brick forming a T-plan and later entrance elevation’.
At some point in the 2000s, the house suffered extensive fire, smoke and water damage. Works to repair and refurbish the property were completed in stages, with the initial focus on repairing the Georgian part of the house so that the owners could return, as work to reinstate the 16th-century wing continued.
The finely detailed work was carried out by specialist local firms, which painstakingly repaired and restored the original timbers, reinstating the wattle-and-daub panels and lime-plaster walls and ceilings.
Approached through a central entrance hall, the drawing room and morning room occupy the later Georgian part of the house, both having open fireplaces, sash windows and shutters. The sitting room has windows on two sides, an impressive brick inglenook fireplace and oak flooring.
The kitchen/breakfast room is a charming mix of old and new, with fitted Bulthaup cabinets and appliances and the original bread oven, and views over the topiary garden and the wildflower meadow to the parkland beyond.
The first floor has five good bedrooms, including the principal bedroom suite, with two further bedrooms on the second floor.
Coggeshall Hall is currently for sale via Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £2.95 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for more details.
Kelvedon: What you need to know
Location: Kelvedon is located in North Essex, in-between Chelmsford and Colchester. The rail station in Kelvedon offers services to London Liverpool Street making it an ideal location for commuters.
Atmosphere: Both Kelvedon and Coggeshall (the neighbouring village) provide a lovely village atmosphere with a real community feel that offers fantastic commuting links, complete with a butchers, community store, several pubs, restaurants and a post office.
Things to do: The larger market towns of Chelmsford and Braintree also offer a larger selection of shops and amenities.
The rail station in Kelvedon offers services to London Liverpool Street making it an ideal location for commuters.: There are numerous fantastic schools in the area, both state and private, including Colchester Royal Grammar, King Edward VI Grammar School and County High School for Girls, Felsted and New Hall.
See more properties for sale in the area.
Credit: Knight Frank
The best country houses for sale this week
Catch up on the best houses that have come up for sale via Country Life in the last few weeks.
-
‘Its loss became a cautionary tale, and a rallying cry for architectural conservation’: The rise and fall and renewed interest in Ireland’s remarkable country housesLesley Bond traces a brief history of Ireland’s country houses and questions whether you can ever separate the house from the history it represents.
-
Alan Titchmarsh: 'I am so weary of seeing Lutyens-style benches and chairs absolutely everywhere'A strategically placed chair doubles as a focal point and a spot to rest — but we need to move on from Lutyens-style ones says our regular garden columnist.
-
A micro estate for sale in west Wales shows that the best things come in small packages. In this case, three of themBrithdir is a remarkable collection of properties centred around a lake and just five miles from the sea.
-
This blissful converted mill has sweeping views, a breathtaking library and gardens by a Chelsea gold medallistPenny Churchill takes a look at Stanbridge Mill, one of the finest properties for sale today in the west country.
-
Portmore has it all: A 3,459-acre Scottish estate for sale, with a signature Baronial sandstone mansion at its heartFor sale for the first time in 40 years, Portmore Estate is everything you could ever want in Scotland.
-
Location, community and charm: the enduring desirability of London's mews housesFrom birds, to horses, to beautiful family homes, the mews of London are some of the nation's most sought-after homes. But why?
-
The distinctive and historic home that might just be 'one of Dorset’s most picturesque'Grade II*-listed Manor House, set in just under eight acres, dates from the 16th century.
-
A 17th century farmhouse in Surrey with one of Britain's oldest squash courtsFords Farm is on the market for the first time in over half a century.
-
The 15 best-value commuter towns for people working in London, according to new research from one of Britain's top estate agentsSavills have released their list of the best-value commuter towns in Britain. But do the sums add up? Toby Keel takes a look.
-
What everyone is talking about this week: Where are the new Cotswolds?The appearance of American Vice President J. D. Vance in the Cotswolds is a sure sign that they're saturated, but where else can you escape to that has the same charm?
