Five of the Best: Rambling ruins

Five British mansions that require new owners with bottomless pockets for sale at prices from £950,000 to over £10 million

 

For those who’ve got plenty of cash to spare, we’ve chosen five of the most impressive rambling ruins currently for sale in the United Kingdom. Several of these are houses that make Downton Abbey look modest and whilst many would say: “Buyer beware”, here are five properties that once renovated will do nothing but impress.

 

Appuldurcombe Estate, Isle of Wight – £6 million ($9.4 million, €8.5 million) through Savills

Described as “Britain’s biggest DIY project” by the Daily Mail, Appuldurcombe House is a Grade I listed, part-roofless ruin on the Isle of Wight. Bombed by a German Dornier aircraft in 1943, it requires some £10 million ($15.7 million, €14.1 million) to restore it as a home and stands in 287 acres. The estate also includes 8 further residences, a shop, a café, a museum and a falconry centre. Known as a “calendar house”, this baroque delight originally had 52 rooms, 365 windows, 7 staircases and 12 principle rooms.

 

Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham, South Yorkshire – Offers over £8 million ($12.5 million, €11.3 million) through Savills

Described as either “one of the great Georgian houses of England” or alternatively a renovation project for someone with £42 million ($65.8 million, €59.1 million) to spare, 250,000 square foot, Grade I listed Wentworth Woodhouse features more than 5 miles of corridors and a room for every day of the year. Part upgraded by the current owner, the estate comes with 82 acres of land, a vast Palladian stable block, redundant 1970s college buildings and numerous 18^th and 19^th century monuments. There’s a slight issue with subsidence but with an east front measuring 606 feet in length, this is a pad with undoubted kerb appeal that also happens to be the largest private house in the United Kingdom.

 

Fenton Estate, Wooler, Northumberland – Offers over £10 million ($15.7 million, €14.1 million) through GSC Grays

Standing in 2,273 acres (with a further 1,023 acres available separately), 23,000 square foot Fenton House has been partly restored but still suffers from dry rot. It was built in 1875 and comes with a further 2 apartments, 2 farmhouses and 12 further dwellings. The true attraction of this “traditional landed estate” though is that it comes with the potential to create “high quality and diverse shooting” on land that has not been sold last since the 1860s.

 

Woodstock Manor House, Oxfordshire – £25,000 per month ($39,200 per month or €35,200 per month) through Carter Jonas

Available on a 20-year lease with an option to renew for a further 20 years and forming part of the Blenheim Palace Estate, Woodstock Manor House was described as having “the finest view in England” by Lady Randolph Churchill. With 11,929 square foot of accommodation in the main house and a 5,273 square foot coach house, this Georgian Grade II listed house requires a £3 million ($4.7 million, €4.2 million) renovation at the expense of the incoming tenant in exchange for an initial rent-free period. After that work is completed, it is said that this “passion project” would be worth around £10 million ($15.7 million, €14.1 million) if ever sold on the open market.

 

Trumland Estate, Rousay, Orkney Islands, Scotland – Offers over £950,000 ($1.5 million, €1.3 million) through CKD Galbraith

Badly damaged by a fire in 1985, Trumland House on the island of Rousay is now “wind and water tight” but “in need of interior refurbishment”. It comes with three cottages and a former coach house and was at one time owned by the Grant’s Whisky family. Surrounded by 44 acres of land and coming with a total of 1,746 acres in a number of parcels, this remote estate will appeal to those who prefer life on the wild side.

 

 

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