Grand manor home was once a hunting lodge used by Henry VIII

Cainhoe Manor is steeped in history.

On top of a small hill surveying open countryside, the location perfectly befits a property that was once a hunting lodge for King Henry VIII - and where Catherine of Aragon was exiled near the end of her marriage to the controversial monarch!

This Grade II listed house, in Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire, not only has a richness of history and character that’s hard to beat but, thanks to a 25-year long refurbishment programme by the current owners, also has a great modern interior allowing for the best of both worlds.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The sense of majesty at Cainhoe Manor begins with a fabulous reception hall that doubles as a drawing room.

The bespoke kitchen, orangery and garden room are light and bright and perfect for dining overlooking the garden.

For more formal occasions, a separate dining room boasts a traditional fireplace and ceiling friezes.

A solid oak staircase leads to the two upper floors and bedrooms where a long oak panelled corridor runs the entire length of the first floor.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The master bedroom suite has exposed oak floors and panelling and one of the five further bedrooms was used by Catherine of Aragon during her captivity at the Manor before the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII.

State-of-the-art designer bathrooms are all newly fitted to the highest standard and the whole property has been re-roofed, re-plumbed, rewired and re-pointed.

Outside, you’d be hard pushed to find something this property can’t offer.

Designed by award-winning Chelsea Flower show designer Julie Toll, idyllic gardens surround the property.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Extensive grounds of just over four acres include a swimming pool with a smart pool house and sun terrace, a new stable block and a detached Coach House, currently used as a garden machinery store but prime for conversion into a self-contained annexe.

Cainhoe Manor sits in the bucolic hamlet of Gravenhurst with the nearest shop two miles away in the village of Shillington.

The market town of Hitchin is eight miles away, with rail services to London Kings Cross taking around 30 minutes.

The property is available for £2.7 million through Michael Graham’s Bedford office 01234 220000.