You could win Henry VIII’s £2,500,000 Wiltshire mansion for £10
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For as little as £10, you could walk the same halls as King Henry VIII as his former Wiltshire property – valued at £2,500,000 – is being raffled. Built in the 1500s, the historic Grade II-listed house – less than 20 minutes from Swindon – was gifted by Henry VIII to Edward Seymour, the brother of his third wife, Jane Seymour, in 1536.
Five years after the death of Henry VIII in 1537, Edward was appointed Lord Protector of the Realm and Governor of the King’s Person – and so looked after the young King Edward VI – but he was later executed for treason in 1552. However, the Wiltshire home remained in the Seymour family for more than 100 years after his death, before being gifted to Brasenose College at the University of Oxford.
Later on in the 1700s, the house was extended to make room for the Tudor-style Queen Anne wing – which increased the total floorspace to more than 5,000 square feet. Now modernised with thoughtful décor, the home – which comes fully furnished – has six bedrooms, four reception rooms and three bathrooms, as well as a playroom, cloakroom, upstairs study and a downstairs office.
An array of original features remains inside, including the elm floors and the main staircase. Want to channel the Tudor history behind it? The farmhouse kitchen is undoubtedly the heart of the home – up for grabs through Raffle House – and is still furnished with its traditional wooden ceiling beams.
