One of the most outstanding Tudor houses in England has come to the market
The grand, sprawling Otley Hall has fascinating history – including panelling which once adorned Carinal Wolsey's chambers at Hampton Court. Penny Churchill reports.


Historic Otley Hall, near Woodbridge, is described by Pevsner as ‘perhaps the outstanding Tudor House in east Suffolk’ and, grandly, by Simon Jenkins, in his England’s Thousand Best Houses, as ‘an immaculate Tudor house with no edge untrimmed and no dust on any shelf. A cobweb would be an arachnoid impertinence’.
Today a well-organised family home with all the comforts that modern technology allows, the 8,200sq ft brick masterpiece retains the aura of a high-status manor house that has survived largely unchanged for some 550 years. It’s now for sale through Savills and Jackson-Stops at a guide price of £2.25m for a home set in about 10 acres of ‘magical’ gardens, parkland and woodland.
The hall offers four main reception rooms, a minstrels’ gallery, a large kitchen/breakfast room, five principal bedrooms, four attic bedrooms, four bath/shower rooms and a self-contained flat.
Highlights include the impressive Great Hall, with its screens passage, and the parlour, with its exquisite linenfold panelling, believed to have come from Cardinal Wolsey’s chambers at Hampton Court Palace.
A 1,930sq ft traditional timber barn and former stables have been converted to a multi-purpose function room and party barn. Combined with numerous promotional activities, the hosting of dinners, conferences and concerts and the use of the manor as a successful wedding venue.
This helps to generate a sizeable income that contributes towards the maintenance and running costs of the property. Legal opinion suggests that the activities of Otley Hall Events demonstrate a clear commercial use — arguably sufficient to justify a ‘mixed-use’ classification of the property for Stamp Duty purposes.
Otley Hall is for sale at £2.25 million via Savills and Jackson-Stops – see more pictures and details.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Ockwells Manor, Berkshire: An insight into the splendours of grand living in 15th-century England
A delightful timber-frame house offers insights into the realities of luxurious 15th-century living and the brutal complexities of Lancastrian politics,
A Tudor house up for sale that stayed in one family for nearly a thousand years
The site of picturesque Flemings Hall at Bedingfield was granted by William the Conqueror and remained in the same family
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country Life
An Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
By James Fisher Published
-
The legacy od Dad's Army
Kate Green takes a look at Dad’s Army, the iconic BBC sitcom written by David Croft and Jimmy Perry.
By Kate Green Published
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country Life
An Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
By James Fisher Published
-
Soft tones and a sense of place: A Mayfair duplex that breaks the modern mould
A new designer-led residence at 60 Curzon in Mayfair reminds us that everything new doesn't necessarily have to look it.
By James Fisher Published
-
'The very best North Yorkshire has to offer': The £25 million Kirkham Estate
With 1,103 acres and on the market for the first time in a century, we've got a new frontrunner for the sale of the year.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
The reality of 20 years of house price rises in Britain, from the places that have had a charmed life to the spots where it's a struggle to move back home
At first glance the ups and downs of the property market seem to even out over time — but dig in to the numbers and you'll see wild regional variations which paint a very difference picture. Annabel Dixon analyses new research which tells the story.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A historic Yorkshire hall, meticulously restored to its former 18th-century magnificence
Womersley Park is a masterpiece and one of Yorkshire's great historic houses. And it could be yours.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Rowing past dreams: An idyllic riverside home with a boathouse, croquet pitch and Olympic pedigree
The Manor in Long Wittenham is a perfect Thames-side getaway. Comes with a free boat.
By James Fisher Published
-
A bucolic Sussex home that's 'like stepping into a fairytale', yet just 30 minutes from central London
Felmere House is a playground for nature and only 30 minutes from London.
By James Fisher Last updated
-
Magnificent mansions across the Home Counties, from £3 million to £14 million, as seen in Country Life
A waterside dream home and a house and estate with over 1,100 years of history make our round-up this week.
By Toby Keel Last updated