The Norfolk home of the grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has come to the market

Concert pianist, courtier, close friend of the Queen Mother, and grandmother to one of the most famous women of the 20th century: Ruth, Lady Fermoy, lived quite a life.

Born in 1908, Lady Fermoy was for many years a lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Mother, whose famed warmth and radiance were shared by her closest circle. 'Effortlessly polite to all comers, they acted as a team, and every afternoon, at the appointed hour, the Queen Mother's courtiers took tea together to mull over the events of the day,' wrote Hugo Vickers in Lady Fermoy's obituary in The Independent in 1993. 'As early as 1937 the lady-in-waiting to Queen Ena of Spain complimented Queen Elizabeth on being surrounded by some of the nicest women in England: "the sort of women who ride in buses, pay their bills and are nice to old servants".'

A lovely image, and seemingly a family trait passed on to her daughter and grand-daughter, Diana, Princess of Wales, who was also famed for her ability to connect with people from all walks of life.

Lady Fermoy was born in Scotland and was a hugely talented pianist who studied at the Paris Conservatoire. Spent much of her later life in and around Clarence House in London, but for many years she lived in her country house in Norfolk: Uphall, just outside the village of Hillington, where she and her husband Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, lived with their three children. It's currently on the market for £2.25 million via Sowerbys. And it, like its former owner, is effortlessly charming.

From the moment you step into the bright, spacious hallway of this eight-bedroom Georgian home, it's a place that is grand, beautiful and cosy. There are open fires and huge windows, polished floorboards and elegant rugs, cosy sofas and pretty wallpaper.

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Lady Fermoy may be long gone (she left in the 1970s), but her skill at putting people are ease seems to have rubbed off on Uphall. It's the sort of place where you'd feel comfortable enough to plonk down on one of the kookily mismatched sofas without your host even having to invite you to do so.

The space on offer is superb, with a sitting room, drawing room, dining room, family room and large kitchen on the ground floor, plus a snug and a utility room below.

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The 11 bedrooms (11!) are split across the first and second floors, most of which have en-suite facilities, and there are six bathrooms in all. Many of the rooms could be configured flexibly as studies, offices or games rooms.

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The grounds and gardens aren't huge — four and a half acres — but they are a real joy, and back on to the Sandringham Estate.

As well as lawns, kitchen garden and plenty of mature trees, there's also a tennis court and an original Victorian swimming pond that's a rare find (and 'an idyllic setting for wild swimming and peaceful reflection' as the agents describe it). There are also several outbuildings and a coach house.

Hillington itself is a pretty little village, and a local inn called Fflokes, which describes itself as a 'hotel, spa and pub', and which has its own little crazy golf course where a round and a pint costs £10.

The village also has easy access to the main road to the market town of King's Lynn, eight miles away, from where trains to London take around an hour and 40 minutes. Sandringham, the beach at Hunstanton, and RSPB Snettisham are all even closer than that.

Uphall is for sale via Sowerbys at £2.25 million — see more details and pictures.