* Freehold
* Listed 8 bedrooms Manor house dating from the late 16th Century
* Wonderfully mature and evocative rural setting
* Formerly the childhood home of hrh Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and connections to King Henry VIII
* Additional buildings including apartments, barn, cottage, stabling and workshops
* Extensive gardens, parkland and ancient grounds
Steeped In History
Description
An attractive Grade II Listed manor house, positioned half a mile to the north
of the rural village of Barnwell, Barnwell Manor offers a high degree of
seclusion and sits within its extensive gardens and grounds of circa 27 acres.
It is constructed with square coursed limestone elevations, with limestone
ashlar dressings and facades beneath Collyweston slate roofs.
Occupying a slightly elevated position, the main tree lined driveway rises
from the lane, Armston Road, passing through landscaped gardens and wrapping
around two ides of the Barnwell Castle site to an extensive gravelled turning
sweep to the front of the Manor. Double gates within the impressive Coach
House, positioned just to the north of the Manor, lead into its courtyard,
with garaging and stables, with access beyond to the secondary driveway which
wraps around the northern boundary of the property and back to Armston Road.
History
The history of Barnwell starts with the Castle, commissioned in around 1266 by
the Le Moyne family. Following an inquiry which concluded there was no licence
obtained to build the castle, it was returned to the Abbotts of Ramsey whom
had held the land before Berenger Le Moyne, and with whom the castle remained
until the dissolution.
The Estate was granted to the then chief justice of the Kings Bench, Sir
Edward Montagu in 1540 by King Henry VIII. Barnwell Manor, built in the 16th
Century was enlarged and further developed by other members of the family over
the 17th, 18th and early 19th Century.
In 1938 the estate was sold to the late Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, where
further internal remodelling was carried out. It was the childhood home of the
now Duke of Gloucester and his brother, Prince William.
Accommodation
The Manor comprises four reception rooms, eight principal bedrooms and five
bathrooms, aside from significant ancillary accommodation and combines the
impressive grace, symmetry and proportions of the era, coupled with retained
period features.
The front entrance hallway has 17th century panelling with an ornately
plastered ceiling with vine leaf decoration and the Montagu family’s crest,
and sets a fabulous tone to the entrance of this impressive house, with a
dual - aspect library, alongside. Steps rise from the entrance hall through a
reeded pilaster flanked archway to the wide main staircase hallway, which
accesses the three principal reception rooms, along with a flower room
entrance to the east of the Manor. Each reception room has solid wooden
floors, impressive panelling, cornicing and period fireplaces, along with
southerly views of the gardens and parkland. The dining room has a full width
bow windowed gable, the sitting room, to the left, 18th century style
Bolection moulded panelling and the drawing room, far left with noted 20th
Century panelling.
In addition, an inner hall passes offices to the kitchen and various domestic
pantry store rooms beyond, with a three bedroom self - contained ground floor
annex, accessed externally, adjoining to the south. The main first floor
landing accesses the four principal south facing bedrooms. The principal suite
incorporates a dressing room and en suite bathroom; two further guest bedrooms
each have en suites, whilst a further five bedrooms are served by two further
bathrooms at first floor level, with a staircase rising to a second floor
bedroom and bathroom above bedrooms three and four within the northern wing of
the Manor. The core accommodation within the Manor is further supported by
excellent additional accommodation in the form of two staff flats accessed off
the Manor’s secondary staircase, which rises from near the kitchen and serves
a three bedroom first floor apartment and an impressive two bedroom second
floor apartment.
Gardens and Grounds
Barnwell Manor is positioned within beautiful, extensive landscaped gardens
and parkland pasture. The gardens and pleasure grounds are themselves grade II
listed and are thought to have been largely laid out between 1913 and the
1920s. They include extensive lawns, framing beautiful vistas, but with, to
the east front of the house a series of stone - flagged compartments and, to the
north and northeast of the manor, yew - hedged compartments and walkways, one of
which leads to the ornamental fish pond, a former swimming pool.
To the north of the castle site, a raised stone walkway overlooks the walled
kitchen garden, with an extensive array of refurbished teak glasshouses.
Immediately adjoining the southern aspect of the manor, a stone - flagged
terrace adjoins with sweeping vistas to the south east, across the ha - ha to
the parkland. The gardens are extensive, private and beautiful.
Location
Barnwell is a charming north Northamptonshire village, with two parish
churches, The Montagu Arms public house and the 15 hectare Barnwell Country
Park, which lies between the village and the Georgian market town of Oundle,
two and a half miles to the north west of the village.
The village is well placed for commuters and the well - known schools in the
area. It has excellent communications to points east and west via the A605,
which link between the A14 (eight miles west) and the A1 (seven miles east).
The cathedral city of Peterborough is 14 miles to the north east, where
regular mainline trains take from about 50 minutes to London Kings Cross.
There are also direct trains through London to Gatwick from Peterborough
station and to Cambridge. Regular trains to London also run from Kettering and
Corby.
The area is blessed with a choice of schooling, with Laxton Preparatory and
Oundle Schools in the local market town, and Kimbolton, Oakham, Uppingham and
Wellingborough Schools all within a 25 mile radius of the property.
Barnwell Manor itself lies to the north of the village, with the 13th century
Grade I listed Barnwell Castle within its grounds, surrounded by its formal
gardens, affording great privacy, and with south easterly views over its
parkland pasture to open countryside and woodland.
Square Footage: 16, 731 sq ft
Acreage:
26. 94 Acres
Additional Info
The Coach House
To the north - west of the Manor, the grade II listed stone under slate Coach
House has 15th and 16th century origins. Originally an aisled barn, it retains
some of the original roof structure, and has been used as offices and storage,
with The Bothy, a two bedroom annex apartment within part of the building.
It is thought to have considerable potential, subject to all listed consents,
for additional ancillary accommodation and forms three sides of a courtyard,
with five stables, a hay barn and extensive garaging and workshops.
Gated entrances allow access to both main and secondary driveways.
Garden Cottage
Within the grounds, accessed from the secondary driveway (which also serves
two off - lying cottages), Garden Cottage is a detached three bedroom single
storey dwelling, which is let on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy with a passing
rent of £9840pa.
Barnwell Castle
The Grade I listed castle is also an Ancient Scheduled Monument and lies
within the Manor’s grounds. Thought to date from 1266, Berenger Le Moyne, who
commissioned the castle, had to return it to The Abbots of Ramsey who held it
prior to 1120 as an inquiry 10 years later discovered that it had been built
without licence.
Post 1540 there were further alterations to the castle, including the removal
of ground - floor vaulted ceilings and replacement timber floors; enlargement of
the first floor arrow slits to take stone mullioned and wooden casement
windows; and the insertion of fireplaces. The turrets and gatehouse thus
provided refurbished additional accommodation to the buildings erected in the
courtyard. William Camden, writing in 1586, refers to the ‘little castle … of
late repaired and beautified with new buildings’.
The surrounding grounds were landscaped and a raised walk was constructed by
Thomas Drew to the north of the castle in c. 1613. Since then it has been
passed to the successive owners of Barnwell Manor. Within the castle, the
markings can be seen for a tennis court which was laid in 1920.
Interested parties should note that Barnwell Castle is currently on the
English Heritage at risk register and subject to an ongoing scheme of annual
work.

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