Huge £3.5m manor house is for sale after a 15-year renovation

Tasburgh Hall has, at various times, been home to a general, a philanthropist, and even housed the bloodied execution vest of Charles I – among other things. During the Second World War, it also acted as the headquarters for an army search light unit.

Now, after a 15-year renovation project, it is up for sale at a guide price of £3.5m.

Tasburgh Hall dates back to the 18th century (Image: Sowerbys)

The earliest record of the property is in 1797, when a map shows a property called ‘Tasburgh Lodge’ at its current address.

It is believed to have been owned by the Beevor family, descended from Thomas Beevor of Peninstone, and was sold to Napoleonic War veteran General William Gwyn in 1815 – the same year as the Battle
of Waterloo.

One of the reception spaces (Image: Sowerbys)

But perhaps one of its most interesting owners was Philip Berney-Ficklin, a philanthropist and collector who, according to Kelly’s Directory of Cambs, Norfolk and Suffolk, written in 1892, “much enlarged and improved” the property.

He has been widely credited with making some substantial additions to the hall while he lived there – not least transitioning it from a ‘lodge’ to a ‘hall’, but also building a gatehouse and an entertaining room, which later hosted a number of private dance balls.

The property has been restored over a 15-year period (Image: © chris rawlings 2021)

While living there, Mr Berney-Ficklin used the hall to store a number of his own curios which he had collected over the years - many of which had a connection to King Charles I.

Historian Peter Bushell, author of Tracing The History of Your House, suggests that Tasburgh Hall housed some if not all of his collection, which included the signed warrant for Charles I’s execution, copies of coins believed to have been handed to the Bishop - who stood beside him at the time of his death - and the bloodied blue silk vest worn at his execution.

Inside the designer kitchen (Image: © chris rawlings 2021)

Skeletal remains, including around 100 skulls, were also dug up from a nearby knoll to the west of the property while Berney-Picklin lived there.
They were believed to be part of a Roman burial ground and are commemorated on a stone memorial in the garden.

The Berney-Ficklin family continued to own the estate – or at least part of it, including the hall – until the 1920s.

It was put up for sale and then requisitioned during the war, becoming the headquarters of an army searchlight unit, with a searchlight installed on the lawn.

The property has 15 bedrooms in total (Image: Sowerbys)

The property is packed with period features and has undergone an extensive - and very sympathetic - restoration (Image: Sowerbys)

In the 1990s, Tasburgh Hall became a Buddhist centre and then the hall was divided into four separate homes.The current owners bought it in 2007, beginning a 15-year project to bring the house back to a single home and restore it to its former glory.

The renovations have included incorporating elaborate plaster mouldings, gilded radiators and oak and stone flooring, as well as branded bathroom fittings, a new designer kitchen, six wood burners and the installation of a comprehensive underfloor heating system, as well as solar panels which provide a substantial amount of energy to the hall.

It has six reception rooms and 15 bedrooms, including a master bedroom suite with two dressing rooms and its own bathroom.

The formal gardens (Image: Sowerbys)

The second floor of the property is accessed by two separate staircases, which means it offers the potential for compartmental living and working.

The west wing, expertly converted from the original coach house, is designed in a more contemporary style and is well-suited to guest accommodation. There is also a separate two-bedroom gatehouse.

The gym (Image: © chris rawlings 2021)

The games room (Image: © chris rawlings 2021)

The leisure suite includes a gym, games room and garden room and there is a tennis court and a fishing lake outside.

The 25-acre grounds have been beautifully landscaped and enhanced with the planting of specimen trees, topiary gardens and the addition
of two botanical greenhouses and a cart lodge.

The gardens have been beautifully maintained (Image: © chris rawlings 2021)

There is also a separate woodland, orchard, pastureland and a vegetable garden.

For more information, contact Sowerbys.

PROPERTY FACTS
Tasburgh Hall, Tasburgh
Guide price: £3,500,000
Sowerbys, 01603 761441
www.sowerbys.com

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