There must be quite a lot of pressure if you are to own and live in the former home of a famous person. If you were to purchase the house where Stanley Kubrick lived, there would be an expectation to at least watch good films while you were there. At Robert Plant’s Welsh retreat, only the best music and singing in the shower. If you were to take on Graham Norton’s old gaff in East London, an urge to present a radio show perhaps.
In Cambridgeshire, the current owners of The Manor House must surely be good gardeners. After all, the Manor House is the former home of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, arguably one of the greatest horticulturists of all time. The property is for sale with Savills for £1.5 million.
Situated in the elegant village of Fenstanton, north-west of Cambridge, the Manor House is a grade II*-listed home of four bedrooms set over three floors. It is everything you would expect a former village home of Capability Brown to be, with lots of nice modern touches to make life a little easier.
Period character and contemporary charm combine behind the black-and-white façade and pitched roof to create an elegant family home throughout. Come for the double-plank front door, the fleur-de-lys hinges, the exposed beams and fireplaces; stay for the Plain English kitchen and the astonishing contemporary orangery.
But that’s not all, the property also comes with a converted barn within its grounds, which is currently in use as a home office, but is easily large enough to be used as ancillary accommodation or as an art studio. Or anything else really.
And, of course, there is the garden. How does the present day Manor House live up to its historic past? Very well indeed. The gardens extend to just under half an acre, but are pristine, with well-stocked shrubs, trees, lawns and hedges you could set your watch to. There are two mature apple trees, which it is believed were planted by Capability Brown himself. Looking around, I feel that great scion of garden design would certainly be pleased.
'Owning the Manor House has been a privilege and a complete joy,' says current owner Nigel Ferrier. 'There are very few opportunities in life to own a home with such character and provenance. We have enjoyed the restoration of all the original features which now add to the relaxed feel of the property. The gardens have given us immense pleasure, and we never tire of sitting in the shade of one of the apple trees that Brown planted.'
Neither would we Nigel, neither would we.
-
When was the first ever Glastonbury festival? Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 26, 2025Thursday's quiz looks at a landmark date at Worthy Farm.
-
The golden eagle: One of the Great British public's favourite birds of prey — but devilishly tricky to identifyWe are often so keen to encounter this animal that ambition overrides the accuracy of our observations, writes Mark Cocker.
-
826 years of history, painstaking restoration and 'a garden like no other' at this former National Trust house which has come to the market in KentA blooming property in Kent showcases the original garden of England. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A wisteria-clad delight with lawns running down to the Thames at the prettiest riverside home for sale in London todayDeodar Road, near Putney High Street, offers unrivalled views of the Thames and is characterful in excess.
-
Five of the most majestic properties for sale in Britain today, from a 1,700-acre estate to a private island, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes some genuinely breathtaking places.
-
Save me: A castle on the Isle of Wight designed by James Wyatt is up for saleNorris Castle Estate also comes with 225 acres of gardens and grounds, and needs a little TLC
-
The 1,800-acre estate of the man who bought Stonehenge has come up for sale at £25 millionThe Bapton Manor Estate, in the beautiful Cranborne Chase National Landscape, seeks a new owner. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A meticulously restored Scottish estate for sale, dripping with history, character and wildlifeThe Craigengillan Estate in Ayrshire sits in 2,850 acres above the valley of the River Doon.
-
Sir Michael Caine's former home on the Thames is a testament to idyllic living and good tasteAt Rectory Farm House, luxury and modern convenience blend seamlessly with rural England. Is this the house that Jaws 4 built?
-
White sand beaches, smuggler's coves, teeming wildlife and a ruined castle in a Scottish island that's on the market for the first time in almost a centuryJust off the west coast of Scotland lies Shuna Island, a true playground of open spaces, natural beauty, wildlife, beaches and — yes — a castle. And it's looking for a new owner.
