Barn House and Mansion - The Essex Mansion

Walk through the doors of the Essex Mansion and you're in a ground floor that opens into living and dining spaces with French doors onto the gardens, a kitchen fitted for cooking proper meals, and a separate games room with pool table and dartboard. There's a cinema room too, and a toilet separate from the main bathroom traffic. The whole place is yours alone—16 guests can spread across seven bedrooms on the first and second floors, each with its own ensuite shower room and television.

The bedrooms range from a super kingsize on the ground floor to five kingsize rooms and a double with two singles. Bed linen, towels, wi-fi and heating are all included. Outside, a private hot tub sits in the gardens alongside a sauna, gym and an indoor heated swimming pool measuring 9.3 by 4.8 metres. There's space for 12 cars on the drive. One dog is welcome at no extra cost. Smoking is not permitted throughout.

The property suits large groups—extended families, friends gathering for a milestone, corporate retreats—wanting privacy and self-catering freedom with leisure facilities built in. Top Oak Restaurant and Pub at Stapleford Abbotts is nearby if you'd rather not cook every evening.