Palatial 13th-century Georgian estate complete with sprawling grounds, mahogany panelling and 12 bedrooms goes on sale for £6million after owners spent SIXTEEN years restoring it

• Elegant Thorpe Hall in County Durham had fallen into disrepair when it would bought by its sellers in 2002
• Designer Mark Gillette decorate the property’s rooms while the grounds were landscaped by Arne Maynard
• The grand home was built around 1740 but parts of the sprawling residence date back to the 13th century

A chance has arisen to own a sprawling Georgian country estate – if you have £6million to spare.

Elegant Thorpe Hall, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, comes complete with 85 acres of land, 12 bedrooms, grand reception rooms and beautifully designed gardens.

It is hard to believe but the palatial property was in a state of disrepair when it was bought by its current owners in 2002.

Owners will have the opportunity to shoot on the nearby Rokeby estate while previous residents have hosted duck fighting on the grounds

The closest train station is 14 miles away in Darlington – which has direct services to London that last two hours and 40 minutes on average

Paul and Gaynor Townley have spent the past 16-years lovingly restoring the grade II listed building to its former glory.

They employed interior designer Mark Gillette to decorate the property’s many rooms while the gardens were landscaped by leading garden designer Arne Maynard.

Features of the home, which was built around 1740 but dates back to the 13th century, include neoclassical Adamesque plasterwork, a delicate wrought-iron balustrade and a fireplace framed in marble with a carved mantel.

And the grand and elegant frontage is typical of the Palladian architecture that was popular in the area at the time.

A decade ago the grand property’s 12 bedrooms were a warren of run-down bedsits. This changed with the sale of the property to Paul and Gaynor Townley who have spent the past 16-years lovingly restoring it

The front’s doors unfussy Georgian facade has sash windows divided up by new glazing bars mirroring the originals 

The grade II listed house in Wycliffe, near Barnard Castle, is surrounded by park and arable land stretching off into the distance

Lindsay Cuthill, the head of the country house department at Savills, said: ‘There are not many houses like this that come to market in such good order’

The huge building had been converted into flats, but many of the rooms have now been brought back to their original use, such as the drawing room, dining room, library and kitchen. 

For your money you would also get your hands on numerous outbuildings, including five cottages, ideal for holiday letting, significant garaging and kennels.

In addition there is a gym, with a separate shower and WC, and an office suite with a meeting room, office, kitchen and loo.

The property is being marketed by estate agent Savills who say: ‘The bedrooms are all individually decorated to a wonderful standard using appropriate colour and design.

The original carved fireplace mantel and marble frame the drawing room, combining cool blues, reds oranges and greens

The property sustains the Townleys’ country lifestyle of hunting, fishing, and shooting as well as entertaining a variety of guests

‘The owners have worked with the original rooms avoiding any partition walls compromising the original proportions.

‘The Master bedroom suite is impressive, overlooking the gardens onto traditional farmland. There is a dressing room that leads to the en suite bathroom.

Adjacent is the gentleman’s dressing room beautifully fitted with mahogany cupboards and shelves which leads to a shower room.

A double height drawing room complete with lime green sofas and pale blue puffs is illuminated by high windows

A gentleman’s dressing room fitted with mahogany cupboards and shelves leads to a shower room

Arne Maynard, a garden designer, carried out extensive renovations to transform the shell into a 12-bedroom family home

‘The beautifully designed gardens have been laid out by the world-renowned Arne Maynard. ‘The formal gardens can be appreciated and enjoyed from either a window in the house or from a stroll among the parterres and avenues.

‘Terracing around the house has created excellent spaces for summer entertaining. The kitchen garden has been designed to offer an abundance of produce throughout the year and also benefits from a large greenhouse.

‘The park like grounds protect the house and lend privacy and security to this wonderful home.’ 

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