Ever watched 'Downton Abbey' or 'Bridgerton' and swooned over the gorgeous houses and country estates where all the drama goes down? If you happen to have a few million quid to your name, you could play out your own personal dramas in a similarly stunning abode.
Barrow Court on the outskirts of Bristol was built in the 1100s as a Benedictine nunnery for the neighbouring Church of St Mary and St Edward. It’s had a number of different iterations since, but now part of it is on sale for £2.75m.
When King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries a few hundred years after Barrow Court was built, he gave the property to a wealthy Bristolian who turned it into a private residence. It was later used as a military hospital during the World War II and became a school between 1949 and 1976. Paired with its religious history, we wouldn’t be surprised if you run into a ghost or two here.
Barrow Court was split into seven separate properties at the end of the twentieth century and it’s the principal part of the main house that’s up for grabs right now. Here are a few pics of the place.
The part of Barrow Court that is for sale stretches over 13,000 square feet over three storeys and a cellar. It has a very generous nine bedrooms, five bathrooms and eight reception rooms. The buyer will also get to enjoy a music room, chapel, library, two kitchens and four acres of communal gardens and a tennis court.
If you want to get even more detailed, the Grade II-listed house has an assortment of wooden and stone fireplaces, panelling, decorative friezes, gothic plasterwork and a grand staircase. There’s a mildly unnerving cardboard cut-out of Queen Elizabeth I in the grand hall, but that can be swiftly removed without risk of being tried for treason.
It’s being sold by estate agents Knight Frank and you can find out more on the official listing here.
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