Say what you want about monks, they have immaculate taste in architecture. Who would say no to a thick stone wall or a couple of big old arches? It’s one thing admiring the abbey ruins of yesteryear, but it’s quite another to actually be able to live inside them.
Well, now you very well could. The Abbey at Coggeshall in Colchester, Essex has witnessed centuries of English history and is now on sale for £2.5 million. And it’s all in one piece, thanks to additions and alterations from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.
Founded in 1164 by King Stephen of England and Matilda de Boulogne, the Grade I-listed property became home to members of the Savignac religious order before becoming a Cistercian abbey.
The stunning property has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus an additional bedroom in the adjoining cottage. There’s also a family room, a library, a grand hall, a study and a dining room.
Beyond the main house there are extensive grounds featuring landscaped gardens, a swimming pool, a bridge, three barns, a collection of stables, a courtyard and a manège (horse girlies we’re looking at you). That’s not to mention the pièce de résistance – the private chapel dating back to 1162, making it one of the oldest buildings on the property.
The charming complex is a short drive from Colchester, a 50-minute train journey to London and less than a mile from the medieval town of Coggeshall. It is being sold by Savills and you can find out everything you need to know here.
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