Greys Hall
A Grade II* Listed property with a piece of literary history
At the end of a tree-lined driveway, this Queen Anne home inspired Cruella De Vil's Suffolk lair from The Hundred and One Dalmatians
Built in 1714, the Georgian Greys Hall is located in the Essex village of Sible Hedingham. Approached by a 200-feet tree-lined driveway, Greys Hall required a full top-to-bottom restoration of the property and grounds. The house is situated in under an acre and flanked with cast iron gates, with its principal gardens a host to willow, oak, eucalyptus, mature pear tree and holly bushes. The property boasts views towards Hedingham Castle.
The property has six bedrooms, a library, panelled drawing room, substantial Georgian reception rooms, roof terrace with panoramic views, carved oak staircase, custom-built kitchen, outbuildings and original sash windows. Greys Hall was designated as a Grade II* Listed building in 1962. The property is listed as a building of note in Bentley & Pevsner's The Buildings of England.
'When Dodie Smith wrote her famous children's book, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, at her cottage in Finchingfield, Essex, in 1955, she found a scary-looking house nearby that seemed perfect for the devious fur-snatcher Cruella De Vil's lair.'
- The Mail on Sunday
Greys Hall is described by Bentley & Pevsner as a property of 'painted brick, c.1714. Pedimented door case [and] three full storeys; central staircase tower with two tall windows.' It was built as the residence of Reverend Moses Cook, the rector of St. Peter's Church, which sits opposite the house. Cook's father was a celebrated landscape gardener under the employ of the Earl of Essex. Whilst completed at the start of the reign of George I, the property showcases significant Queen Anne features.
Greys Hall is best known as the inspiration for Hell Hall, the Suffolk manor of Cruella De Vil from the 1956 children's novel, The Hundred and One Dalmatians. The author of the story, Dodie Smith, lived in the neighbouring village of Finchingfield, and illustrations of the property are located in copies of the novel. Whilst it was never documented, local folklore states that Walt Disney himself visited the property in preparation for his iconic 1961 animated adaptation of the beloved story.
History of Greys Hall
The Restoration
When McCabe & Abel purchased Greys Hall, the property had not been in residential use and was a children's day nursery. The roof in particular required immediate replacement, and the carved oak staircase was in considerable disrepair. The original Georgian panelling underwent a sensitive restoration, which resulted in a comfortable period family home.
