With its wonderful black and white timbered facade, there is no denying that Minsterley Hall in Shropshire is a real Tudor gem.
As lovely inside as it is out, the hall is Grade II* listed.
Its history has been well documented. It was “a handsome new house” built in 1581 for a gentleman called Robert Clough.
The rest of it is mid-17th century and was built for Sir Henry Frederick Thynne, to replace the destroyed Caus Castle.
In an admirable example of recycling, it is thought that some of the materials and fittings came from the castle when the house was substantially enlarged in 1653.
The house remained in the ownership of the Thynne family for over two centuries and since that time has only changed hands a few times.
Minsterley Hall was built with a prodigious use of oak. Rather than the materials being covered up, they are instead important parts of the decor, the lines of the wood creating patterns as beautiful as any wallpaper.
Polished oak floors, panelled rooms, beautiful fireplaces, exposed studwork and oak mullioned windows all add to the hall’s character.
The two main reception rooms have panelled walls and the drawing room has a 15th century screen which is thought to originate from Caus Castle.
The large farmhouse kitchen has a four-door Aga, adjoining utility room and door to the cellars.
A breakfast/sitting room is a light room with views down the garden and over the pool. A small hallway with a cloakroom gives access to the garden and a pergola creates a lovely sheltered outdoor eating area.
Also to the front of the house is a study with a guest cloakroom in the hall next to it.
Two oak staircases lead up to the first floor.
The front stairs lead to the former billiard room, a beautiful room with oak floors and fireplace.
In the master bedroom the eye is immediately drawn to an intricately carved Italian marble fireplace commissioned by the Marquis of Bath, John Thynne, in 1869. It also has an en suite which is nearly as big as the bedroom and which has a corner shower, bath, toilet and basin. A dressing area completes the suite.
Another four bedrooms can be accessed from the back staircase. Two of these have en suite shower or bathrooms. The house bathroom includes a free standing bath, behind which exposed beams create a wonderful design in the wall.
The back staircase continues up to the second floor where the servants would have slept in times gone by. This area has now been restored and presently serves as storage space and gym, although it could revert back to bedrooms if required (albeit ones that will probably be more comfortable than the quarters the staff enjoyed) and has been plumbed for a bathroom if required.
At one end are display panels preserving inscriptions from the Hall’s past inhabitants, creating a real connection to its long history.
To the front of the house is a paddock, once a vast lawn, with a line of lime trees planted along the driveway.
A second driveway enters from beside the church and swings up between wonderful mature tress including a wellingtonia. From here the house can be glimpsed from behind its walled gardens.
These formal walled gardens, which are to the east of the property, have also been restored and include a charming summer house and gardener’s house.
A lawn with gravel paths to either side leads down to a large feature pool.
Minsterley Hall stands in its own 3.39 acres of private gardens and grounds within the south Shropshire village of Minsterley.
The village sits amid the hills of the Rae Valley. It has a hall, newsagents, post office and butcher’s shop.
A popular primary school is within walking distance and Mary Webb Secondary School is in the neighbouring village of Pontesbury.
The area has lots of opportunities for walking and riding in the surrounding countryside which offers wooded valleys, streams and the wilder uplands of the Long Mountains and the Stiperstones.
VIEWING INFORMATION
AGENT: Savills
TEL: 01952 239500
WEB: www.savills.co.uk
GUIDE PRICE: £1,135,000
