For sale - a slice of British history: Beautiful seven-bedroom manor house where royalty holidayed and Thackeray penned Vanity Fair goes on the market for £3MILLION

As well as a seven-bedroom manor house and more than 10 acres of land, this quintessentially British property, on the market for £3m, comes with its own slice of history too.  

Rookley Manor, a Grade II-listed 18th-century house, which boasts pristine gardens, a swimming pool, and paddocks, has played host to some of the country's most famous VIPs - including royalty.

Former visitors include George IV (played by Ralph Fiennes in the 2008 film The Duchess) who regularly took his mistress Maria Fitzherbert to the property when he was still the Prince of Wales.

Stunning grounds: Rookley Manor in Hampshire comes with its own slice of incredible British history

For sale: The Grade II-listed house is on the market with more than 10 acres of land

And his uncle, the HRH Duke of Cumberland, rented the house as a hunting lodge from 1776-1783.

Perched on the outskirts of the hamlet of Up Somborne in Hampshire, the property also attracted literary greats, with William Makepeace Thackeray writing Vanity Fair while staying at the house.

Now up for sale, Rookley Manor, near the village of Kings Somborne and the market town of Stockbridge, is just an hour by train from Winchester to London Waterloo.

The brochure describes the property and surrounding grounds as an idyllic country pile, with golf courses nearby, racing at Salisbury and Newbury on offer, polo at Tidworth, point to point at Larkhill, motor racing at Thruxton, fishing at the Rivers Test and Itchen, and sailing on the south coast.

Quintessentially British: The avenue of apple trees that decorate the garden of the 17th-century house

Important guests: The 12-seater table set for an evening of fine dining inside the manor

The approach to the magnificent house is a sweeping gravel driveway.

Through the front door, the beautiful hallway has an intricate artex ceiling, a 17th-century flagstone and marble floor, as well as a stunning open fireplace. 

Off the hallway is the sitting room, which again has an open fireplace as well as sash windows, a dining room and drawing room, perfect for entertaining guests.

There’s also a 17th-century oak staircase and a large window with its original iron decoration.

Upstairs, the principle bedroom has its original 18th-century fireplace and panelling, and an adjoining bathroom with views across the pristine gardens and on to an avenue of apple trees.

The impressive hallway features an artex ceiling - and plenty of space for hats

Next to the main house is a cottage, which overlooks a small courtyard. But what the sellers are really hoping will capture the imagination of potential buyers about this historical house are the beautiful grounds.

There are perfectly manicured lawns, two orchards of old apple trees, two walled gardens (one of which is a productive kitchen garden with greenhouse and fruit cage), a 300-year-old Mulberry tree, a tennis court, an L-shaped swimming pool and two fenced paddocks.

The property is on the market for £2,950,000 with agents Strutt & Parker.

DM