It is no coincidence that Tudor Cottage was moved in the Twenties. This was a
time before planning regulations were introduced to protect historic
buildings. And a decade when the suburbs were being developed, often in
mock-Tudor style. Whoever relocated this house, wanted the real thing.
Another architectural antique that made its way across the country in the
Twenties is Flowton Priory, which now stands within West Common at Harpenden
in Hertfordshire. The Grade II-Listed former priory was originally built in
the village of Flowton in Suffolk in 1525, the year the New Testament was
translated into English by William Tyndale. It has true grandeur, with nine
500-year-old chimney stacks, 16th-century windows, a magnificent carved
stone fireplace and Tudor ceilings.
Racing driver David Pinkney first spotted the property in the Eighties and
stood gazing through the gates saying that one day he would buy it. A decade
later he did. He has spent years renovating the house, commissioning new
stained-glass windows and replanting the grounds. Divorce proceedings mean
he is now selling for £7.5m through Savills (01582 465000).
“The great thing is that when it was moved, every beam, brick and tile was
checked and made good. And it was put on solid foundations with a damp-proof
course,” he says. “It has a wonderful ageless beauty and guests are bowled
over.”
Sometimes it isn’t so much a question of the house being moved, but of being
collected like a prize gem. At Little Park on Gentleman’s Row, Enfield,
Middlesex, the owners in the Twenties were well-known art and antique
dealers. They took a fancy to the neighbouring house, which had once been
Enfield Palace, a former Tudor royal residence. It had become so derelict
that it was earmarked to make way for a department store.
“This was a great palace in the time of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Edward
VI,” explains the owner Adrian Birchall. “The dealers, the Leggatt brothers,
sold the site to the store and paid to have one special room moved to this
house. It was shifted 200 yards, complete with its extraordinary fireplace,
wood panelling and richly decorated Tudor ceiling.”
The fireplace, which rises from floor to ceiling, is so special that it is
thought to have started life in another Tudor palace known as Elsyng.
Since then, this time capsule has been called the Tudor Room. “It is lovely to
sit here and have drinks before supper,” adds Adrian. “This is very much a
special occasion room.” Each year, he and his wife, Anne, honour their
obligation to the past and open the room for an evening to the Enfield
Preservation Society.
It makes visitors’ jaws drop. “When we first saw the property we looked at
each other and knew we would buy it,” explains Adrian. Their interest in the
period has since taken them to Hatfield House (built by Robert Cecil, one of
Elizabeth I’s favourites) and drawn them to historical fiction and history
books by Alison Weir. But the house is too big for them now.
Little Park presents problems for the valuer because the Tudor Room is unique
and there is nothing to compare it with. Even without the Tudor Room the
house has a long and fascinating history. It comes with six bedrooms and a
billiard room, pool, gym and tennis court, and is priced at £3m by Savills
(020 8447 4400).
Having your own piece of the past definitely creates a “wow” factor. At
Chantry, Woodleigh, in south Devon, a former monastery has been converted
into lovely homes set among 80 acres in an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. The house was built between 1902 and 1904 by Trappists who had
fled anti-Catholic legislation in France. A four-bedroom property is for
sale, with use of the shared tennis court and pool for £700,000 through
Knight Frank (01392 423111; www.knightfrank.co.uk).
A spectacular, prefabricated timber building imported from France as the
church now houses the pool.
The message is clear. If you love the sound of these properties, but the
location doesn’t suit, schmooze the local planners and ship the house to
where you want it. Easy.