Huge Norfolk manor house with secret door in the library for sale for £3.2m

Manor House, in Bintree, dates back to the 17th century and is Grade II listed.

It was once part of Norfolk’s vast landholdings, acquired by Sir Edward Coke, Lord Chief Justice to James I, and remained in the Coke family, who have lived at nearby Holkham since 1609, until the late 1960s. It was then sold off to the 6th Earl. Even today, the initials 'T.C' for Thomas Coke can be seen etched into the ends of its gables.

Manor House, Bintree, is on the market for £3.2m (Image: Sowerbys)

Inside one of the reception rooms (Image: Sowerbys)

The kitchen/breakfast room (Image: Sowerbys)

The property was so significant, architecturally, that historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote about it in his Buildings of England series. He described it as “one of the Holkham Estate farmhouses, rebuilt in the 1790s" and noted its “pedimented doorcase” and its “fanlight [which sits above the door] flanked by margin lights the size of ordinary windows.”

Ordinary is not a word you would typically associate with the house – or its grounds, which extend to over 11 acres and include an all-weather party room, swimming pool and tennis court.

The main house was altered in the 1830s, with the addition of a Georgian-era façade, and its internal accommodation harks back to this era too: well-proportioned, elegant, free-flowing.

Inside one of the bedrooms (Image: Sowerbys)

One of the property's luxurious bathrooms (Image: Sowerbys)

Inside the dining room (Image: Sowerbys)

During their tenure, the current owners have done a lot of work to the property – so much so that they stayed in the property’s cottage, now used as a holiday let, while work was complete.

Both the dining and drawing rooms offer remarkable views over the front of the property, where there is a sweeping driveway and a natural pond. The large kitchen/breakfast room is also very versatile, offering space to live in and entertain from. You can just imagine hosting guests here, fetching a bottle to share with friends from the cellar beneath, or, on a weekday morning, enjoying a moment of quiet before the house wakes up.

The secret door in the library (Image: Sowerbys)

The library is built in a 17th century part of the house and features its own secret door. It was created by John Simpson, the same architect who created the Queen’s gallery at Buckingham Palace, and opens into another wing of the home, where you will find a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, cloak room and shower room, all of which are well-suited to guests or to multi-generational living.

Upstairs the two separate wings of the house are connected by a doorway. There are three bathrooms and six bedrooms, although two are currently used as dressing rooms.

The views into the gardens (Image: Sowerbys)

The barn next to the ice-house has been converted into an all-weather party room (Image: Sowerbys)

The gardens have been beautifully landscaped (Image: Sowerbys)

Outside, flowers and a large vegetable garden flourish, while the former ice-house and attached party room create the ultimate entertaining space. It helps to keep guests warm and cosy on a cool winter’s night and, in the summer, it’s bright and breezy.

The grounds also contain a walled garden, which was landscaped and designed by the late Anthony King Deakin, as well as extensive stabling and several paddocks.

For more information, contact Sowerbys.

PROPERTY FACTS
The Street, Bintree
Guide price: £3,200,000
Sowerbys, 01362 693591
www.sowerbys.com

Would you like to stay up to date with the latest property news in your area? Sign up to our Eastern Daily Press newsletter for our pick of the best local property stories.