A COUNTRY house that belonged to one of Taunton's longest serving MPs is on the market for in excess of £5,000,000.

The 15th Century Cothay Manor, at Greenham, near Wellington, was once home to Sir Edward du Cann, Conservative MP for the constituency from 1956 to 1987.

Sir Edward had a few well-documented run-ins with his mortgage provider during his time there.

He died in 2017 at the age of 96.

Somerset County Gazette:

Sir Edward du Cann

Grade I listed Cothay is set in 40 acres, with five main bedrooms in the manor house and a further four in the attached north wing.

The house belonged to Sir Francis Cook, 4th Baronet, and during World War II housed much of his famous art collection, dispersed after the war.

In addition to the main house, there are five ancillary residential properties currently let on assured shorthold tenancies.

The gardens were gutted and rebuilt along the original Cooper structure by the current owners, adding new garden areas, including a bog garden in the Oxbow, an arboretum, a wild flower meadow, a lake and a mount from the spoil where the current owner's late husband is buried.

Cothay Manor is on the market with Knight Frank at in excess of £5,000,000.