Cobbold family selling Suffolk's Glemham Hall for £19m

Glemham Hall was built in the 16th Century

A prominent family with links to brewing and football has put its country estate on the market with a £19m price tag.

The 16th-Century Glemham Hall, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, has been owned by the Cobbold family since the 1920s.

The family is well known for its involvement in brewing and Ipswich Town FC.

Tim Fagan, of estate agents Strutt and Parker, said the hall was "one of Suffolk's most notable rural estates".

It comprises a Grade I-listed mansion house, seven cottages, arable land, farm, river meadows and woodland.

The 1,763-acre (713 hectare) estate includes about 200 acres (80 hectares) of Grade II-listed parkland.

The estate is currently owned by Thomas Hope-Cobbold, who lives there with his family

Mr Fagan said: "[It has] a well-documented heritage, having been passed through so few families."

According to the agents, the earliest reference to the Glemham family is of William de Glemham in 1229, while it was Sir Henry Glemham who built the hall in about 1560.

The estate was sold to the Cobbold family in 1923, once belonging to Maj Philip Hope-Cobbold, Ipswich Town patron and former director.

The entire estate is set over 1,763 acres (713 hectares)

Today, it belongs to his son Thomas, who lives in the hall with his family.

The grounds have hosted events including the FolkEast music festival and the Classics at Glemham car show.

Ipswich Town's Portman Road ground has a stand named after the Cobbold family, in recognition of its long involvement with the club

Mr Fagan continued: "The estate is in a good position to take what the current family has worked so hard to achieve, and grow on the success.

"The next owner may want to continue the hall as a family home, while leveraging its commercial capabilities through arts and hospitality.

"Alternatively, the estate and main house set-up lends itself well to a commercial investor, particularly as this Suffolk location is an increasingly popular destination for families and creatives."