Gothic masterpiece comes to the market

3:45pm Thursday 5th April 2007

THE fairytale towers and extensive grounds of a former Edwardian gentleman's residence make the perfect place for an Easter egg hunt.

Twin turrets and a wealth of period features make Nately Towers (pictured), on the outskirts of Basingstoke, a gem of a property for a family.

It has been the home of former Hampshire county councillor Hazel Vanbergen for the last 10 years, but, with the family having flown the nest, she is now looking to downsize and has brought Nately Towers to the market with estate agent Romans, with a price guide of £850,000.

The original owner of the house was Henry Richard Brown, who lived there until 1926 and is now buried in the nearby St Swithin's churchyard.

In 1903, he sited his Gothic masterpiece in wooded grounds on Scures Hill and salvaged the cast-iron pillars supporting the veranda from St Pancras Ironworks.

Mrs Vanbergen said: "It is a marvellous, magical house and the wildlife in the garden includes buzzards, woodpeckers and pheasants."

Nately Towers has evolved over the years. The old morning room and butler's offices are now a large kitchen-breakfast room, while the servants' quarters in the attic, which are reached by a secondary staircase, have been converted into a teenage hideaway with views from the highest tower room.

Mrs Vanbergen said: "Stories abound. There is apparently a cache of sovereigns hidden somewhere on the site.

"A small plane crashed in the garden to the delight of neighbouring children.

"The 1.9 acres provided enough room for a Shetland collie breeder. And swimming parties were popular, with the water slide leading down to what are now ornamental ponds.

"There is even room for croquet parties on the top lawn."

She added: "This may be a house with only one century of history, but it has the capacity to provide a wonderful future for a family and children with imagination.

"Perhaps they could even find the sovereigns."

Mrs Vanbergen is retaining just over an acre of the grounds in the hope that she will one day achieve her dream of building a low-level eco-house for herself.

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