Fascinating and historic Grade II* Listed former hall house with delightful, mature gardens
This is a fascinating and historic timber framed house of varying periods which has been painstakingly restored over many years by the vendor. With some incredible features including jettied storey, linenfold panelling, wall paintings, Inglenook fireplace, exposed timbers including an Ogee arch, mullion windows, ledged and braced doors the property started life as a Hall House. Formerly the Rectory, it was owned (and leased) by Merton College Oxford and we understand that a map of 1602 in the college's possession shows extensive ranges of farm buildings round a courtyard of which the existing house remains.
The Emplins has a wonderful feel and has been a much loved family home for over 40 years. The hub of the house being the great hall an L-shaped reception room from which the rest of the ground floor accommodation radiates with an impressive Ingelnook fireplace and a stunning linenfold door.
The adjoining front entrance lobby/study area leads to dining room a lovely spacious room suitable for a variety of uses with an early Ogee arch and former mullioned windows. The side hall (on the far side of the great hall, where a third staircase used to be) provides storage and access to both the comfortable oak room/sitting room with numerous exposed timbers, a fireplace and linen drying/boiler room and also the kitchen/breakfast room fitted with a range of wooden cupboards with views of the garden and part glazed side (or back) door. Two stair lobbies and a bathroom complete the ground floor accommodation.
On the first floor there are up to six bedrooms, but two are not independently accessed. One, with its amazing, historic wall paintings and (relocated) linenfold panelling provides a potential studio or dressing room as it leads to the side landing, part vaulted main bedroom and bathroom. Two of the bedrooms are in the central section of the house and a further two with shower room are on the far side of the family bathroom but also accessed from a second staircase. This area of the house was previously the Guildhall and the round topped mullion windows have been sympathetically fitted with sliding glazed panels.
The glorious mature gardens have been created by the vendor over many, many years and incorporate a wonderful array of hedging, trees and shrubs and a variety of deep, well stocked herbaceous beds carved from the lawns. To the rear of the house is a herb garden with a wonderful wisteria-clad archway leading to the vegetable garden and garage/stores.
View payable Stamp Duty for this property
This is a really fascinating and much loved family home, as soon as I walked into the great hall, I felt enveloped by both it's warmth of character and history. Having only had three owners in the last 600 years, this is an incredibly rare opportunity to become its custodian
Lucy BanksProperty agent