'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness family

If you open up the satellite view on Google Maps and start having a look around the town of Hersham — one of the Surrey towns, along with Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames, which blend country feel with a location inside the M25 — one of the first thing you'll notice is a sort of dome-shaped residential area dotted with trees, houses and swimming pools. Lots and lots of swimming pools; we counted six houses in a row with their own.

Congratulations: you just came across the charmed enclave that is Burwood Park, once owned by the Guinness family, and home to many of the great and the good — not least motorsports star Bruce McLaren, who built a large six-bedroom family home here.

This prestigious address, a neighbourhood of mansions, is a leafy escape from the world, and privately-owned too. So much so, in fact, that the satellite view is as close as you get to this gated community, unless you're invited to visit, or are lucky enough to live here yourself. And an opportunity to do just that has come up in the form of one of the most prestigious homes on the estate: The Manor House, a ‘rare jewel of distinction and grace’ according to selling agents, Curchods, is on the market for £9,950,000.

Unlike nearby St George's Hill, which was purpose built by WG Tarrant in the early 20th century, Burwood Park has some truly old homes, and The Manor House is the oldest of the lot. The area was part of the royal hunting ground for Hampton Court in Tudor times — Henry VIII bought it, and much of the surrounding area, in 1540 — but when the Frederick family took it over in the 18th century it became a home.

The Grade II-listed Manor House house is believed to have been built by Sir John Frederick, a city merchant, in the mid-1700s. Since then, this house has played many roles including stints as a girls’ school and a school for deaf children. Today, it is a grand-looking eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion, with a striking, symmetrical façade and a portico entrance.

The Manor House is brimming with interesting architectural details inside, including elaborate plasterwork, grand columns, ornate fireplaces, and rooms of what the agents describe as ‘ambassadorial’ proportions.

Spanning more than 19,000 sq ft, it’s a house with a veritable Cluedo board of a floorplan: drawing room, dining room, sitting room, library, ballroom, kitchen and billiard room are all present and correct, but there are also more 21st century spaces: a wine store, gym, family room, several 'study suites', cinema room and a home office.

And naturally, because this is Burwood Park, there is a swimming pool, complete with a sauna off to one side.

Upstairs, there are six bedrooms on the first floor, all but one with ensuite bathrooms, but the main bedroom is the real show-stopped. Curchods describe it as ‘a retreat in itself', with two dressing rooms and a pair of 'spa-like' ensuite bathrooms.

The second floor has another gym, en-suite bedroom and a study, and a separate, self-contained apartment that could be used as staff accommodation, or for multi-generational living.

This is really quite a special home, and Warren Fraser, partner at Curchods, is undeniably pretty excited. 'More than a residence, The Manor House is a statment', read the details, and 'a masterpiece of timeless elegance' that is 'as inviting as it is impressive' and a place where ‘you can genuinely switch off’.

‘There are calm outlooks over the gardens, generous living spaces that work for both everyday family life and proper entertaining and over 4.5 acres of grounds that make being at home feel effortless,’ he adds, calling it a 'property is built for people who want privacy, space and the freedom to live on their own terms.’

It’s the type of home, Fraser adds, that’s just right for a buyer who ‘who values security, convenience and a self-contained lifestyle - whether that’s a growing family, a captain of industry working from home, or an international buyer wanting a secure UK base’.

The Manor House is for sale via Curchods — see more details.