From the Norman Conquest to the present day, almost 1,000 years of English history line the walls of Grade I-listed Crepping Hall, on the outskirts of dreamy Wakes Colne, on the Essex/Suffolk border. Once part of a 15,000-acre estate held by the powerful de Vere family, who were Earls of Oxford, in the late 12th century, the house was a timber-framed and plastered open hall with aisles, of which 2½ bays remain, with many later additions. A cross-wing was added in about 1512, with signs of an original attic floor and an Elizabethan first floor.
Although impressive, the de Vere family’s long association with the house is not its only claim to fame. Distinguished owners since the Victorian era include writers, industrialists and aristocrats, all of whom have left their mark on the building in one way or another.
In the Victorian period, a red-brick extension was added to the north, followed by a double-bay Edwardian west wing housing the original billiard room, now an impressive formal drawing room. The most recent addition is a spectacular orangery/break-fast room, which connects the kitchen to the main drawing room to create a wonderful open-plan space.
Currently on the market through Savills at a guide price of £3m, Crepping Hall stands in almost 10 acres of formal gardens, orchard and paddocks, filled with mature shrubs and ancient trees. A knot garden to the south comes complete with box balls and stunning roses, an elegant pond is traversable by a picturesque wooden bridge.
The main house boasts some 6,200sq ft of light and airy living space, including five reception rooms, six bedrooms and four bath/shower rooms. Amenities include a tennis court, swimming pool, verandah and terrace – perfect for idle days and lazy summer dining.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
The country retreat where JM Barrie dreamed up Peter Pan to entertain three young houseguests
Set on 1.5 acres of land on the edge of Bourne Wood, Lobswood House has been sympathetically renovated to retain
Credit: Knight Frank
A palatial Jacobean-style mansion with rooms by the man who renovated Buckingham Palace
With a 24 carat gold drawing room, an extraordinary indoor spa complex and a £150,000 playhouse, the only thing Pinewood
The devastatingly pretty home where Sir Walter Scott became a literary superstar
Within the splendid walls of Ashiestiel House, Sir Walter Scott enjoyed the happiest years of his life as he wrote
Credit: Strutt & Parker
The Cotswolds home of the writer who penned the definitive account of Edward and Mrs Simpson
The former home of Frances Donaldson is up for sale, a beautiful old Gloucestershire farmhouse where she chronicled Edward VIII's
Credit: Savills - fine for reuse
A vast 17th century home full of original features, with gardens and orchards over 400 years old
Hall Court was built by a crusading politician who tried to clean up corruption in the Navy – and who, in
-
Uzbekistan's inaugural Bukhara Biennial turned traditional ways of displaying art on its head and reignited the traditions of the storied Silk RoadEvery week, the news breaks of another art fair in the Middle East — but the Bukhara Biennial is the one to watch, says Skylar Pinchal Coysh.
-
The Tuscan gardens where the English and Italian traditions come together, and Yorkshire rhubarb grows happily beside spectacular citrusNick Dakin-Elliot, who gardens in Tuscany, is still moved by the Italian hilltop gardens that command some of the most beautiful views in the world.
-
An Alpine hideaway on a Swiss mountaintop that's like something from the pages of a Gothic novelA wonderful Baroque castle set amid gardens and woodland is for sale in one of Switzerland's most beautiful areas.
-
The beautiful part of Britain where £1 million still buys a grand period house and a swathe of unspoilt landThe Scottish Borders might just be the best value spot in Britain today, as Arabella Youens reports.
-
A beautiful old farmhouse in 15 acres of breathtaking Scottish scenery, for sale at just £825,000A wonderful country home with almost 15 acres of land has come up for sale at a price which will make urban dwellers question their life choices.
-
A country house that was the set for one of the best-loved sitcoms of the 1980s is for sale, with 40,000sq ft of space, 39 bedrooms and almost endless potentialLynford Hall, a vast neo-Jacobean house that's been everything from a country hotel to an agricultural college, has come to the market. Toby Keel tells its story.
-
A sprawling castle set amid ancient woodland has come to the market for the first time in 150 yearsGyrn Castle, set amidst woodland on the outskirts of an ancient village, is now seeking new owners. Penny Churchill reports.
-
A Tudor Revival home built by a Victorian adventurer, with beauty, grandeur and its own putting greenFulford Hall is an idyllic country home, yet is situated less than a dozen miles from Birmingham. Penny Churchill tells more.
-
Five glorious properties for sale from the 11th to the 21st centuryA tithe barn, a Grade I-listed Norman keep, and a Georgian masterpiece all graced the pages of Country Life this week
-
You can now rent King William IV’s former home in London’s Mayfair — for a princely sumThe London property — with royal lineage — is on the market with the estate agency Wetherell for £25,000 a week.
