A "welcoming" manor house in Brentwood has belonged to one family for almost 500 years and can still be hired out for events today.
Nestled in Ingatestone in the borough of Brentwood is Ingatestone Hall which has origins tracing back to 950 AD.
It was around this time that King Edgar granted land at Yenge-atte-Stone -later known as Ingatestone - to the Abbey of Our Lady and St Ethelburga at Barking.
In 1535, Henry VIII instructed his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, to begin the process that led to the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Cromwell’s representative, William Petre - a young lawyer from Devon - was tasked with visiting religious houses across southern England to catalogue their assets and encourage their surrender to the Crown.
During his visit to Barking Abbey, Petre took a particular interest in its manor at Ynge-atte-Stone and secured a lease.
After the abbey’s lands were formally surrendered in 1539, Petre purchased the manor outright for £849 12s 6d.
According to Ingatestone Hall's website, Petre demolished the existing steward's house and constructed a new residence on the same site.
The website claims it was also among the earliest houses to feature piped water and flushing drainage, supplied by nearby springs that continued to serve the property until recent years.
In July 1561, Queen Elizabeth I came to stay at Ingatestone Hall for several nights, holding her royal court there and being entertained by the Petre family.
After William Petre’s death, his widow remained at Ingatestone Hall and their son, John Petre, acquired Thorndon Hall near Brentwood, which became the family’s main home for the next three centuries.
Ingatestone Hall stayed in family hands and the ninth Lord Petre lived there between 1764 and 1770 while a new Palladian-style Thorndon Hall, designed by James Paine, was under construction.
Soon after his return to Thorndon, the west wing - home to the Great Hall and dining chamber - was demolished, creating the U-shaped layout seen today.
The hall features two 'priest holes' built into the thickness of its walls.
These secret chambers were most likely used during the 16th and 17th centuries to conceal Catholic priests from priest hunters during times of persecution.
The grounds were also once "almost entirely" covered by orchards in Tudor times.
A fire in 1876 destroyed much of Thorndon Hall, but it was not until 1919 - after the death of the 16th Lord Petre in the First World War - that the family returned permanently to Ingatestone.
Ingatestone Hall's website recounts how the lord's widow, Lady Rasch, embarked on a restoration project to return the house to its Tudor character.
Working closely with retired architect W. T. Wood and local builders F. J. French, Lady Rasch oversaw the removal of later additions and the reconstruction of lost features.
"Reproduction work of the highest quality" was said to have been carried out.
The first phase of restoration was completed in 1922 and celebrated with a masque in the gallery, in which history says the young Lord Petre, aged eight, played his ancestor Sir William, alongside his sister as Cupid.
Further restoration followed in the mid-1930s.
During the Second World War, the house was used by pupils from Wanstead School.
In the 1950s, the north wing was leased to Essex County Council for use as a record office and this arrangement continued until the late 1970s, during which time thousands of Essex school children visited exhibitions held there.
Today the hall remains a private family residence but since 1992, the house and grounds have been made available to hire for weddings, parties, filming and more across its various rooms including a gallery, stone hall and summer parlour.
Its website says many visitors have commented on its "friendly, welcoming atmosphere".
Guided tours can also be arranged.
Ingatestone Hall has also featured on TV in recent years with its authentic Tudor architecture appearing in productions including Lovejoy, the BBC's Bleak House, Horrible Histories, The Windsors and The Crown.
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