The Bell House gets its name from  the wooden-pegged timbers on the landing, where once a bell  hung to call the servants to workThe Bell House gets its name from  the wooden-pegged timbers on the landing, where once a bell  hung to call the servants to work
The Bell House gets its name from the wooden-pegged timbers on the landing, where once a bell hung to call the servants to work

Delightful stone built family home set within the stunning surroundings of the Gayhurst Estate near Milton Keynes goes on the market

Let’s go through the keyhole The Bell House, a beautiful property converted from the 17th century stable buildings of Gayhurst’s magnificent Grade I listed Elizabethan country manor.

Built on the site of a Roman villa, Gayhurst House was given by Elizabeth 1 to Sir Francis Drake as a reward for his Armada triumph, and was later home of the Digby family of Gunpowder plot infamy and has variously been a satellite of the Bletchley Park codebreakers and a school before becoming exclusive apartments.

The Bell House is approached past sheep grazing up to one side of the long private drive, lakes to the other, and horses gambolling in the paddocks. And whether you use the beautiful, unusually wide, oak front door into the hall from the former stable yard or the kitchen door from the lovely higgledy-piggledy garden terrace, it’s a joy to arrive home.

The property offers three beautiful bedrooms, plus a nursery/study, AGA kitchen, landing study/reading area, walled garden with insulated cabin, double garage and parking for numerous cars - all in an historic, peaceful, stately home setting.

The Grade II listed character property also features a generous private garden with insulated cabin, immaculately maintained communal grounds, converted 17th century stable building, far-reaching countryside views, plus easy access to nearby Olney and Newport Pagnell.

The Bell House benefits of every amenity close by while enjoying wonderful parkland, pond and immaculately maintained communal gardens, the grounds originally having been laid out by the great English landscape designers, Capability Brown and Humphry Repton.

The splendid Georgian church of St Peter is also close by with an opportunity to fish in the lakes (fishing club membership needed), play tennis on the courts or, with agreement, host a major family function within the grounds – all with the perfect backdrop of one of the finest houses in the country. The 18th century poet, William Cowper, who lived in the lovely nearby market town of Olney, felt privileged to be allowed to walk with friends in “…the prettiest place in the country.”

The property at Gayhurst Court Mews, is on the market at £875,000 with Artistry Property Agents, 36 St Peter's Street Bedford MK40 2NN, call 01234 969108.

Details courtesy of Right Move.