Tim Phillips of Savills country department is overseeing the sale, at a guide price of £5.75m, of elegant, Grade II-listed East Donyland Hall set in 83 acres of parkland, woods and farmland running down to the Roman River and saltmarsh near the quiet rural village of Fingringhoe, five miles southeast of Colchester in the heart of Roman Essex.
The first record of a house on the site was in 1463, followed in 1638 by that of a mansion house built around the medieval core and encircled by the moat that still exists today.
In 1730, David Gansel, an architect, acquired the property, had the house re-fronted in the Queen Anne style and built a model farm opposite the house with three matching listed buildings with pedimented gables comprising the stables, dairy and brew house.
He also laid out a park and planted many cedar trees, some of which are still standing.
The classic Georgian interior provides some 6,535sq ft of free-flowing accommodation on three floors, including an entrance hall with a fine 18th-century staircase, four main reception rooms, a conservatory and a kitchen/breakfast room.
There is a principal bedroom suite, four further bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor, and two further bedrooms on the floor above. There is also a two-room cellar, with access from the study.
Further accommodation is available in the two-bedroom gate lodge, and two pretty estate cottages.
Approached along a private tree-lined drive, the Hall sits well within its setting, surrounded by lovely landscaped gardens. In all, the estate comprises some 21,000sq ft of houses and buildings, of which 10,000sq ft of farm buildings have potential for development, the agents say.
East Donyland Hall, Essex, is up for sale at £5.75m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
-
Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
-
Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country Life
Sometimes bigger really is better.
-
Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North DownsA contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
