Crowland Manor, Crowland, Lincolnshire

In the town of Crowland, amid the Lincolnshire Fenlands, this Grade II*-listed manor house dating to c1690 presents an enchanting palimpsest of architectural style. The fabric of the manor encompasses Stuart origins, Georgian additions and Victorian alterations. Its opulent interiors are drenched in colour: tones of inky green, burnt red and rich blue coat panels, pilasters and pediments, their hues set ablaze by the light pouring in through expansive sash windows. Outside, a Palladian façade of red brick dressed in limestone quoins, arches and pilasters rises as an elegant backdrop to a walled garden billowing with wild roses. Replete with period features and original details, it does require updating. Wonderfully situated a few miles from the Cambridgeshire border, the house is within easy reach of Peterborough, Cambridge and London. 

Explore what life is like here in more depth.

Setting the Scene 

The limestone façade of Crowland Manor faces East Street which runs through the heart of the town. On one side of East Street the ruins of Crowland Abbey sit like a bookend, and on the other is the medieval Trinity Bridge, both Grade I-listed sites.

The Abbey was formerly part of a Benedictine monastery that dates to the 12th century, and today the standing remains of the nave and aisles loom over Crowland. Trinity Bridge is a rare three-way crossing that spanned the confluence of the River Wellend and its tributary since the 14th century until the waterway was rerouted. For more information, please see the History section. 

The Grand Tour

Crowland Manor is currently a well-loved family home. The current owner has investigated an extensive list of repairs and restorations, and significant progress has been made on approved sensitivities strengthening the fabric of the building. Work has been undertaken (including repointing and some structural work), but the majority of the restoration is yet to be completed. We can provide further details on request. While the rear façade is currently surrounded by scaffolding, and various other parts of the house require substantial work, the building emanates with the beauty of its authentic fabric and wealth of preserved period features.

Set into the ashlar-laid limestone façade on East Street is the manor's primary entrance. The unassuming front door, painted in a dark shade of green to match the frames of the cross-mullioned windows has intact original brass door furniture and opens to an entrance hall. Here, a carpet of original ceramic tiles spreads underfoot, the vivid blue and yellow pieces complementing the wash of burnt-red paint that coats the timber-panelled walls, moulding and doorways. The entrance hall opens to two wings of the house: to the left are a series of Georgian reception rooms, and to the right is the oldest part of the manor, encompassing the kitchen, studios and a playroom. A generous laundry room and a bathroom are also accessed from the entrance hall. 

The bottle-green palette of the drawing room is in striking contrast with the entrance hall it opens from. The current owner uses the space as a living room, where light filters through six-over-six sash windows to fall on the embrasure shutters, panelling and weathered floorboards. At one side of the room is a round-headed niche with original curved shelves, perfect for displaying a favourite sculpture.  

Opening from the drawing room is the magnificent Great Room, replete with Georgian details. On one wall is a marble fire surround set underneath a pulvinated frieze and moulded mantel. Opposite, a door opening to the garden is set between narrow sash windows and topped with an elegant fanlight in a Venetian arrangement, typical of Palladian style. The elegant proportions of the Great Room, coupled with its opulent details, make it an impressive space for hosting a winter feast by the fire, or a summer banquet with the windows thrown open. 

The kitchen and kitchen parlour are in the oldest part of the house, with casement windows set into the deep limestone walls. A large Belfast sink is fitted with reclaimed globe taps and along one wall period cabinets sit on either side of a wood-burning stove. A collection of rooms extend from the kitchen that the current owner, a ceramicist, uses as studio space.  

There are two staircases to the first floor of the house where a maze of doors and landings weave between six bedrooms and a family bathroom. To the left of the plan is an 18th century dog-leg staircase with turned balustrades, a moulded mahogany handrail and square newels. Its sweeping rhythm is echoed in the form of the dado panelling that surrounds it. Opening from this landing is a bedroom where a beautiful Diocletian window is overlooking the leaves of a mature beech tree and fruiting pear tree in the garden. An adjoining room would make an excellent en suite bathroom. The staircase to the right of the plan rises gently to a landing with four bedrooms and a family bathroom.  

The panelled primary bedroom sits to the rear of the plan. Here two enormous nine-over-nine sash windows are set within splayed reveals, the original shutters still intact and their deep sills making for a perfect place for keeping books or simply sitting to admire the garden. Next door is the family bathroom in tones of alabaster and pink, where a clawfoot, roll-top bath sits proudly on the oak timber floorboards. A wood-burning stove can be lit for a long soak on a winter’s day, and on either side of the fire there are built-in cupboards for storing towels and sheets.  

The staircase continues to the second floor, where the attic rooms have the potential to be renovated for further accommodation. 

The Great Outdoors

Basking underneath the elegant Palladian façade of red brick and limestone details is the walled back garden. Soft edges are planted with wild roses and the lawn is scattered with fruiting plum and pear trees, as well as a wonderfully mature beech. Doors open to the garden from the drawing room and the great room to create a wonderful flow between the refined interiors and the wild garden.

To one side of the main garden is a second outdoor space, where grass has grown over a foundation of Norfolk Sea Cobbles. Here, a vine-smothered pergola makes a beautiful place for a table and chairs and an alfresco meal in the evening light.

To the other side, an outbuilding opening from a courtyard is ideal for use as a potting shed or for housing garden tools and seeds. The building could also be renovated for use as studio or workshops.

Out and About

Crowland has plenty of daily amenities, including a grocers, a bakery, a post office and a pharmacy, as well as three pubs. Market Deeping and the Georgian town of Stamford are nearby for further provisions, independent shops and restaurants. On the outskirts of Stamford is the Burghley Estate, host to an array of events throughout the year encompassing from lectures by well-regarded historians to the world’s largest horse trials. 

Rutland Water, Europe’s largest man-made reservoir, can be reached by car. It is a stunning backdrop to a great day out, with sailing clubs, an Aqua Park, fishing, a nature reserve and a cycle circuit dotted with good pubs along the way. 

As for transport, the house is well placed: nearby Peterborough station provides high-speed service to London King’s Cross in just 49 minutes. The A16 can be picked up just outside of the town, for access to Peterborough in less than 20-minutes, or connecting to the A1 for driving to central London.  

Council Tax Band: D