Page 13 - Oundle Life June 2023

manor building – including the rear doorway and the hoods over the rear hall windows – date from 1200, easily making it the oldest building in the county.
venue or for formal company dinners or team- building exercises. There’s also a B&B on-site so you can experience sleeping in a manor house
When the practice of granting
prebendaries was outlawed in 1845,
the Ecclesiastical Commission sold the
manor and estate into private hands in
1875 and, by the late 1960s – after being
leased to tenant famers for centuries
– the manor had fallen into disrepair
and was little more than an empty shell.
It was when the current owner, Jane
Baile, was renovating the property that
traces of the Saxon Royal Hall were
discovered beneath the tiled floor of the current building.
Now fully restored, the Prebendal Manor remains a private residence, although guided tours can be booked by appointment and the estate can also be hired as an idyllic wedding
Now fully restored, the Prebendal Manor remains
a private residence
with over 1,000 years of history.
To book a guided tour between April and October (£10 for adults and £2.50 for children) or to enquire about the manor as a wedding or event venue: www.prebendal-manor.co.uk
email: info@prebendal-manor.co.uk or 01780 782575. B&B also available.
Stuart Barker is a professional writer and author. He has a keen interest in local history and likes nothing better than riding round Northants visiting historical sites on his motorcycle.
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