An Eden mansion and wedding venue is on the market for £3 million.
Calthwaite Hall, originally built in 1837, is being sold by Tony Kenvig, who has lived there with his partner since 2010.
The Grade II-listed hall has 12 bedrooms, seven bathrooms and five reception rooms.
It also features an orangery, equestrian facilities, an outdoor swimming pool and seven-and-a-half acres of private land.
The gardens were landscaped by William Sawrey Gilpin in the early 19th century.
Tony said: “We originally bought it primarily to be a private residence after we spent time looking for something with land.
“We ended up hosting my nephew’s wedding here and that actually opened the doors to us doing weddings and more on the site.
“People were saying to us it looked like Downton Abbey and that was the seed planted — but we’re now looking to move on.”
When Tony first bought the hall in 2010, he said there was a lot of work to be done.
He said: “It was totally derelict back then, there was no electricity. We had to rewire it, replumb it, reroof it and we had dry rot, wet rot and damp infestations.
“We had to do everything, but we got there in the end, and we had professional painters and decorators in, and I did the interior design.”
Alongside the hall’s established wedding business runs a holiday business — it also has a portfolio of nine luxury lodges with hot tubs and a separate holiday cottage.
Planning permission for an additional eight lodges is also in place.
The hall has a rich history and has been the home of several notable people over the years — including aristocrats, politicians and wealthy Victorians.
It was also used as a convalescent home for wounded servicemen during World War Two and was later occupied by a girls’ school.
The venue has retained many of its period features, including a unique spiral staircase and a wine store. Tony said the west wing of the property was able to operate as a self-contained annexe.
He added: “I think my favourite part of the property is the hallway, you can’t not love that staircase.
“Some of the weddings we’ve done have been great highlights of living here for us. You get to know the client really well, it’s such a personal thing at the end of the day.
“We did a lot here with the lodge site and adding the orangery, but it’s all here now and it has the infrastructure for someone to grow it all.”
Tony and his partner also own The Globe Inn in Calthwaite and said they plan to keep the pub open.
He added: “We’re also willing to stay and work on for the people who take it over if they want to keep it as a business.
“With the lodge site and cottages and hall, it’s quite a big business engine, so we’d stay on to help with the crossover.”
The hall, its wedding and holiday business and lodges can be bought as a whole — but options are also available to sell on the lodges or turn the hall into a private residence. It is on the market with Finest Properties.
