Property market

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, a kitchen/ breakfast room, with 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.

Finally, Karl Manning of Savills in Chelmsford (01245 293233) is handling the sale of enchanting, Grade I-listed The Abbey at Coggeshall, a historic former monastic complex of immense character and charm set in 25 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens on the banks of the River Blackwater, less than a mile from the centre of the medieval market town of Coggeshall and 10 miles from Colchester.

He quotes a guide price of £2.5m for The Abbey, which offers a total of six bedrooms split across the main house and an adjoining one-bedroom cottage, a former monk’s lodgings. Other buildings include an entertaining barn/guest house, and a consecrated private chapel, which dates from 1162 and is one of the oldest buildings on the site. Two substantial Essex barns and extensive stabling are set around a central courtyard with direct access to a manège. Originally a Savignac religious house and later a Cistercian abbey until the Dissolution, Coggeshall Abbey and its associated buildings were much altered in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, although the principal house still retains many of its earlier features including 16th-century chimney stacks, oriel windows and the west porch.

Ornate wood panelling features heavily throughout the building, alongside stone arches and some remarkable timbers. Of particular note is the splendid Grand Hall, which overlooks the north-facing lawn; also the family room, dining room, library and the kitchen, which enjoys riverside views. The first-floor accommodation comprises five bedrooms and three bathrooms, all orientated to make the most of the delightful setting.