£1.1m property that inspired home in 101 Dalmatians for sale

Greys Hall in Sible Hedingham is listed for sale for £1.1m and offers elegant and spacious accommodation, fine period features and panoramic views towards nearby Hedingham Castle.

According to estate agents Fenn Wright, the six-bedroom link-detached home was built in 1714 by Reverand Moses Cooke and overlooks St Peter’s Church.

Inside, the home is as grand as you would expect a property of this age and scale to be (Image: Fenn Wright)

There are several reception rooms on the ground floor (Image: Fenn Wright)

It’s rumoured that the property was the inspiration for Cruella de Vil’s home in the 1961 Disney production of 101 Dalmatians – a suggestion that seems all the more plausible considering author Dodie Smith, who penned the original novel, lived in nearby Finchingfield at the time.

Today, the house has all the grandeur you would expect from a home of this size and status and has been sympathetically restored.

Flexible accommodation is set over four floors and includes sash windows, original shutters and window seats.

The house is packed with period features, including decorative panelling, cast iron fireplaces and huge sash windows (Image: Fenn Wright)

The house is approached by a traditional, Georgian-style front door which opens on to an impressive entrance hall with a carved oak staircase rising to the first floor.

Many of the ground-floor reception rooms boast extensive wood panelling and original fireplaces and there is also a library and a study, which could remain as is or be converted into a playroom.

The lower ground floor can be accessed from the front of the property, or by a set of stairs in the entrance hall, and offers an impressive kitchen/breakfast room with a range-style cooker, as well as lots of built-in storage and a large island in the centre.

The kitchen is a perfect fusion of modern and rustic (Image: Fenn Wright)

The kitchen also features a nook made into a dining area (Image: Fenn Wright)

To the rear of the space there is an attractive ‘nook’, constructed out of exposed brickwork, which offers enough space for a table and chairs and across the hall there is a wood-panelled dining room, which also boasts a distinctive feature fireplace and original wooden flooring.

Completing the accommodation on this floor is a good-sized utility room with a sink and a boiler room and cloakroom.

Three generously-proportioned bedrooms are located on the first floor, all of which enjoy high ceilings and pleasant views, and the principal bedroom also benefits from its own en suite. 

The first floor is accessed by a grand turning staircase (Image: Fenn Wright)

Many of the rooms are light and airy thanks to their huge sash windows (Image: Fenn Wright)

Three further double bedrooms and a shower room are positioned on the second floor, where there is also a set of double doors leading out and onto a balcony. From here, you get some of the best views, extending over the surrounding villages and to Hedingham Castle.

Outside, Greys Hall is approached by a long tree-lined driveway which sweeps around to the left-hand side and provides off-road parking for several vehicles.

Steps lead to the enclosed west-facing garden, which shares its boundary with the churchyard.

Some of the rooms also feature window seats, offering great views over the surroundings (Image: Fenn Wright)

The property is said to have inspired the home of Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmations, adapted from the novel by Dodie Smith, who lived closeby (Image: Fenn Wright)

On the opposite side of the driveway there is further parking and several outbuildings, including an office which is currently used as a games room, featuring a partly-vaulted ceiling with exposed floorboards and a cloakroom.

The rest of the garden is mainly laid to lawn and partly enclosed by brick and flint walls, while a delightful York stone sun terrace is positioned to the front.

Contact Fenn Wright for details.

PROPERTY FACTS
Rectory Road, Sible Hedingham
Guide price: £1,100,000
Fenn Wright, 01787 327000
www.fennwright.co.uk