A country manor on the Welsh border with a staircase worthy of a costume drama

The village of Norton, two miles north of Presteigne, lies just inside the Welsh border and close to the meeting point of Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys, 19 miles from Hay on Wye, 23 miles from Hereford and 18 miles from Ludlow. Here, Peter Daborn of Savills in Telford quotes a guide price of £2m for imposing Grade II-listed Norton Manor.

This large country house was built in 1858 for a local landowner, Sir Richard Green-Price, who was MP for Radnor from 1863 to 1869, and from 1880 to 1885. Knighted in 1874, he is commemorated by a red granite obelisk outside the village.

Previously run as a country house hotel, Norton Manor has been divided into three by the current owners, who bought it in 2014 and have painstakingly restored it. All sash windows are fitted with secondary glazing and the 16,000sq ft building is now heated by a modern biomass system.

Built of ashlar stone under a slate roof, the main house is entered by a grand entrance hall leading to the formal reception rooms.

An ornate Italianate staircase leads to seven en-suite bedrooms on the first floor — a feature which is genuinely spectacular, with light pouring in from above and a galleried landing at the top. You can just imagine the erstwhile Victorian residents of this home sweeping down to join guests at a dance.

The kitchen/living area, originally the ballroom and main restaurant for the hotel, is a vast space where the current owners mostly live.

The second part of the house has been set up as an independent holiday-letting unit that includes a modern kitchen and dining room, up to eight double bedrooms and a separate games room.

The previously derelict west wing, now wind- and waterproof, is still a ‘work in progress’, with planning consent for a further five bedrooms and two bathrooms.

So while there's certainly work to be done, the potential is huge to turn Norton Manor into one of the finest homes for miles around.

Norton Manor is for sale at £2m — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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