Historic family mansion of Henry VIII wife up for sale
£2M PRICE TAG FOR FORMER RETREAT FOR CHURCH MEN
THE former home of the family of Henry VIII’s sixth wife Catherine Parr is up for sale.
The property in question is an eight-bedroom historic, grade IIlisted mansion off London Road, Kegworth, idyllically placed at the side of the River Soar with five acres of land attached.
It is listed for sale at £1,950,000. The estate itself has history extending back to the 16th century, including its use as a religious retreat for church dignitaries travelling between Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire.
In the same century, it was also owned by the Parr family and used as a hunting box.
Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, never lived there herself, but “would have almost certainly visited”.
The property itself is a large, prominent historic structure which comes with the level of luxury fit for a queen within - including a huge principle bedroom, an attached dressing room and en suite bathroom.
The house also boasts a large drawing room, flower room, open sided gallery, beer room, and butler’s pantry - not to mention a wine cellar.
With its riverside location, the property also comes with boathouse, as well as fishing rights being sold with the property.
The property, now called The Hermitage, comes with evidence to support the many years of history it has seen, including photographs, architects drawings and plans showing the attic room as the old servants’ quarters, as well as the Butler’s Alert box which would allow the staff to know which room they needed to head to.
The grounds themselves are worth mentioning alone, with the five acres of land put to good use with well-maintained lawns, areas of woodland, an orchard, a kitchen garden, croquet and tennis lawns, and a terrace overlooking the River Soar.
To add even more wonders to the mix, it also comes with a water garden filled by a natural warm spring where a former owner of the house apparently swam each morning.
Another historic feature in the gardens are the yew hedges, which are “extremely old” and were a mainstay in Tudor gardens.
There is also a pump house and potting shed on the grounds, too, along with outhouses currently used for garaging, but could be converted back to stabling, if the new owner so wished.
The house has also had some modern additions, too. There was an extension added in the 20th century, as well as the property being reroofed and rewired in recent years. A security alarm has been installed, as well as a CCTV system and security cameras on the property. A new central heating boiler was also fitted by the current owners.
The listing, posted by Thomas James Estate Agents on RightMove, said: “A rare opportunity to acquire this imposing family home, which boasts a rich and interesting history extending back to the 16th century, when it was used as a religious retreat for church dignitaries.
“During the 16th century, the property was owned by the Parr family, and used as a hunting box. And whilst Catherine Parr (sixth wife of Henry VIII) is thought never to have lived here, she would almost certainly have visited.
“Providing extensive accommodation over three floors, plus cellars and outbuildings, the property has original and characterful features at every turn!
“Set in stunning grounds of five acres, The Hermitage provides potential for a variety of uses. The property enjoys an unrivalled position, surrounded by rolling countryside, at the edge of the sought after
market town of Kegworth.”