Author Evelyn Waugh’s Cotswolds mansion up for auction at £2.5 million - but there’s a catch

Here is all you need to know about the stunning property
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The former home of author Evelyn Waugh is to be auctioned with a guide price of £2.5 million. The Grade II listed building which has eight bedrooms is where Waugh wrote ‘Brideshead Revisited’ as well as some of his other well-known novels.

Piers Court also has six bathrooms, six receptions rooms and a tennis court. The property has a huge 23.58 acres of land. It is set to go to auction with Allsop auctions on December 15. It is located in Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire, about half way between Bristol and Cheltenham.

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The property has other historical significance other than the links to Waugh. Following the fall of Bristol during the English Civil War, it is said that Piers Court was ransacked by parliamentarian troops as they searched for the King’s cousin.

Piers Court came into possession of Waugh in 1937 when he bought it for £3,600. The money was given to him by the parents of his second wife Laura Herber. The couple lived at the house for almost 20 years, other than during the Second World War when they turned the manor into a convent school.

The catch to this property is, however, that you will not be able to book a viewing. Currently, there are tenants occupying the property. They are paying £250 a year. The photographs displayed on the estate agents website are from historic marketing in 2018.

The property in Gloucestershire (Photo: Knight Frank) The property in Gloucestershire (Photo: Knight Frank)
The property in Gloucestershire (Photo: Knight Frank)

Knight Frank, the estate agents overseeing the sale of the property, said: “The property is occupied under a Common Law Tenancy at a rent of £250 per annum. A Notice To Quit has been served on the occupant on 19 August 2022 and a copy of such notice was affixed to the property gate on 22 August 2022. A prospective purchaser should take their own legal advice regarding this.”

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