By Harriet Arkell With its elegant ballroom, banqueting hall, rolling acres and lake, Grade I-listed Halswell House looks as if it should be worth several million pounds. But the Palladian mansion, once described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as 'the most important house of its date in the country', is for sale at a knockdown £250,000 after being repossessed when its owner was declared bankrupt. For the price of a one-bedroom flat in one of London's less exclusive areas, you could pick up one of Britain's finest country mansions that comes with beautiful Tudor buildings and 30 acres of lush Somerset land.
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Halswell House in Bridgwater, Somerset, is one of Britain's finest houses and boasts Tudor buildings and 31 acres
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The Palladian mansion was described by Pevsner as 'the most important house of its date in the country'
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Ballroom, banqueting hall, lake and follies all included with auctioneer's guide price of £250,000-£500,000 for the lot
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The estate was repossessed after owner Grahame Bond declared bankrupt and is priced for a quick sale
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Halswell, the earliest parts of which were built in 1536, has a fascinating - and occasionally chequered - past
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The Tudor manor house was built for Robert Halswell whose son Nicholas became Bridgwater MP
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During the Second World War an area of Halswell's parkland was used as a camp for Italian prisoners of war
View from the terrace: Halswell House comes with 31 acres of beautiful @placeholder countryside and the owner will enjoy splendid isolation