A north Norfolk manor house accessed by a private drive headed by a brick and flint tower gatehouse has become available to rent in Bessingham, near Cromer, for £4,500 per calendar month.
The property, which has been renovated in recent years, has an interesting past.
In its heyday in the mid-19th century, Bessingham Manor had around 20 men working full-time on its estate. It was home to the Spurrell family, including Katherine, who bred prize-winning daffodils in the early 1900s and her sister Emily, a candidate in a fiercely fought district council election in Aylmerton in 1894. It’s even said that one owner – Edmund Denham Spurrell, who owned the estate from 1906 until his death in 1952 – kept a dancing bear in the cellar, brought back from a trip to India.
The estate was broken up and sold in the 1970s and the manor house fell into disrepair. Later attempts to demolish the property and replace it with a new nine-bedroomed home failed, after a buyer couldn’t be found. But shortly after, a couple from Cambridge fell in love with the property and restored it to its former glory, running it as a successful holiday let. Now it is available to rent furnished with Brown & Co for a six-month tenancy.
The property itself sits in a conservation area and is described as something of a rural idyll, with undulating open countryside and big, star-filled night skies thanks to the lack of light pollution. It would certainly make the ideal home for a family looking to make the most of the north Norfolk coast, as it sits just five miles from Sheringham, Holt and Cromer.
Highlights include an inviting grand entrance hall featuring black and white marble flooring, as well as a large Victorian-style kitchen that is fitted out with custom-made dressers and has both an Aga and a separate electric range cooker. Modern appliances include a large American-style fridge freezer with water filter and icemaker.
There is also a formal dining room, drawing room and study on the ground floor, alongside two Victorian-styled cloakrooms and a double bedroom with an adjoining wet room.
On the first floor, the master suite features a king size four-poster bed and an additional single bed, fireplace and chaise longue and offers beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. The en suite bathroom includes a double slipper bath and a separate corner shower, as well as a set of French doors which open out on to a private balcony with seating.
Two further en suite guest bedrooms feature king size beds. The remaining bedrooms offer various sleeping arrangements, including a king size bedroom and adult bunk beds in bedrooms four and nine and a small double bed and a single bed in bedroom six.
There is also a large family bathroom with a freestanding roll-top bath and a separate shower. Statement chandeliers and an original fireplace also give this room a luxurious feel.
Outside, the grounds at Bessingham Manor extend to approximately four and a half acres and are mainly laid to lawn with a small area of woodland.
There is also a large patio area at the back of the house, where tables and chairs create an ideal dining area, alongside a large gas-fired barbecue. The land is mostly enclosed by hedges beyond which there is open parkland on three sides and a small working farm on the adjoining land.
Contact Brown & Co on 01263 658070.
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