Gayton Manor, a Grade I-listed house in the Northamptonshire countryside, is the stuff of Tudor dreams. And, for £2.95 million, it could be yours.
Approached through a walled, gravelled forecourt — originally a stable yard — with clipped yew hedges, Gayton is a limestone building constructed in the shape of a cross. It has arched, stone mullioned windows, original arched doors and stands in over four acres of grounds.
The property was built in 1540 by a local, Sir Francis Tanfield, who lived there with his wife, Bridget, and 18 children.
Tanfield was one of the signatories of Queen Elizabeth I’s Act of Uniformity, which set the groundwork for the Elizabethan church, and is buried with his family at Gayton church. He and Bridget left their mark on the house, carving “F and B” into the arched door surround to the dining room, which remains today.
In 1607, Gayton Manor was sold by Tanfield’s grandson to Sir William Samwell, who also had a royal connection. Samwell worked closely with Elizabeth I as auditor of the exchequer and was knighted at the coronation of King James I in 1603.
Between 1755 and the 1970s, the manor remained in the ownership of the same family. Its current owner, investment banker and racing car driver Crispian Besley, bought it in 1994. “I was captivated by its beauty and charm the first time I saw it,” says Besley.
“Whilst it is steeped in history and looks imposing, it’s actually extremely practical and manageable. I’ve enjoyed working with English Heritage who have helped me bring it into the present century and update it sympathetically. It’s been a privilege for my family to live in such a wonderful building.”
Besley initially used the property as a weekend retreat for his family, but in 2005, they moved there full-time.
He made some adjustments to the historic building, adding a single-storey extension with a new, modern kitchen, which is connected to the main house via a glass link. Besley converted the original kitchen, located in the basement, into a media room and playroom, and doubled the capacity of the garage.
Today, almost 500 years after it was built, Gayton Manor stands in much the same Elizabethan style in which it was designed. The property comprises a 6,139 sq ft main house, a 628 sq ft stone stable block containing a two-bedroom, self-contained flat — also converted by Besley — and a four-car garage with an office space above.
Covering three storeys, the main house has its kitchen and reception rooms on the ground floor, plus six bedrooms and a library on the floors above. Its centrepiece is the original great hall, a 30-foot-long space with a double-height ceiling, overlooked by a minstrels’ gallery.
Today, the great hall is a drawing room, with exposed beams and a feature Tudor fireplace with a multi-fuel stove. It is lit by an impressive double-height bay window, framed by rich, red curtains.
Above, accessed from the gallery, is the dining room, an austere room with floor-to-ceiling original wood panelling, an oak floor and another enormous stone fireplace. These panels conceal a hidden door, leading across the gallery to a triple aspect sitting room with deep window seats.
Outside, in Gayton Manor’s 4.42 acres of grounds, there are formal gardens, an orchard and grazing paddocks. The lawns fan out from the side of the house next to the kitchen, where there is also a paved terrace which overlooks a Victorian sunken ornamental rose garden. For the green-fingered, there is a greenhouse and raised vegetable beds.
The Besleys are selling due to changing family circumstances, and the house is co-listed by Savills and Blue Book Agency for £2.95 million.
“The buyer of Gayton is most likely an appreciator of historic properties, someone who is determined to buy into a piece of our heritage,” says Lindsay Cuthill, co-founder of Blue Book. “That could mean a British buyer, but it could also easily be someone from overseas.
“This Grade I-listed house embodies the romance and grandeur of the Tudor age but on a hearteningly domestic and comfortable scale,” he adds. “Gayton Manor stands as both a uniquely fascinating piece of history and a beguilingly beautiful building.”
