Mansion bought by Kray twins for £11,000 in 1967 drops in price to £2m
Mansion bought by the Kray twins for £11,000 in 1967 with a garden dug up by detectives looking for their victims drops in price to £2m after failing to sell
- Ronnie and Reggie Kray bought The Brooks in Bildeston near Hadleigh, Suffolk, for just £11,000 in 1967
- Put up for sale for £2.25 million in July this year, it is now being offered at the reduced price of £2 million
- Hadleigh residents recalled gardens being dug up after the arrest after Reggie killed Jack ‘the Hat’ McVitie
- They were popular with locals as wealthy businessmen who bought children ice cream and donkey rides
The Kray twins’ former mansion has had its price slashed after it failed to sell. The seven-bedroom, three-bathroom, luxury home was up for sale for £2.25 million in July.
This year the historic home went on the market for the first time in three decades, but the cost has now been reduced to £2 million.
East End gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray bought The Brooks in Bildeston near Hadleigh, Suffolk, for just £11,000 in 1967.
But the notorious thugs were arrested in May 1968 and banged up for life the following year, having spent little more than a year and a few months at the home.
The former country mansion of the notorious gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray has had its price reduced from £2.25 million to £2 million
The murder of henchman Jack ‘the Hat’ McVitie (right) by Reggie Kray in October 1967 was a turning point that eventually led the arrest and conviction of Ronnie and Reggie Kray (left)
Its ‘exceptional’ grounds are said to have once been dug up for cops searching for bodies.
The murderous brothers fell in love with Suffolk after being evacuated there during World War II, pledging to return and buy a home in the rolling hills when they could afford it.
In an interview Ronnie even claimed the pair settled nicely into country life, frequenting the pubs and rubbing along nicely with the locals.
But they sold the home for £14,000 once locked up.
The twins purchased the seven bed property in Suffolk for just £11,000 in 1967, a year before they were arrested by police
Villagers recall how police searched the property and even dug up part of the garden in a search for bodies in the days following the Krays’ arrests in May 1968
The property, described as ‘an elegant seven bedroom period house’ by estate agents Bedfords, dates back to the 16th century with 18th century gentrification extensions and Victorian alterations
The property has seven bedrooms and is now a family home – a far cry from its earlier usage as a retreat for the Krays
The twins bought the three-storey house after falling in love with Suffolk when they were child evacuees during World War Two and sent to live in the market town of Hadleigh
The landing on the first floor leads to a ‘triple-aspect principal bedroom’, a main guest bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, and three further bedrooms, served by a large traditional bathroom with ball-and-claw bath and a large walk-in shower
The country mansion bears little resemblance to its former past as a retreat for two of London’s most notorious gangsters
The property features a patio area and large garden at the back, perfect for a relaxing summer afternoon
Bedfords describe the grounds of the house as ‘one of the most exceptional settings we have seen for some time’
Ronnie added in a taped interview: ‘It was the first time we ever went to the county and we got to like the country’
Ronnie said he enjoyed ‘the quietness, the peacefulness of it, the fresh air, nice scenery, nice countryside – different from London’
Ronnie (left) and Reggie (right) Kray at home after 36 hours of police questioning concerning the murder of George Cornell, UK, 1966. Cornell, a member of a rival gang, was shot by Ronnie Kray in Whitechapel on March 9
It is described by estate agents Bedfords as: ‘An elegant seven bedroom period house with separate cottage and an enormous range of high-quality outbuildings providing studio, gym, office complex and games room, situated in an exceptional six-acre setting yet located in the village centre.’
It is understood to date back to the 16th Century, and was then extended in the 18th Century with additional alterations in the Victorian era.
The description says the home is ‘graced with considerable natural light and wonderful original features to include large sash windows, picture rails and attractive fireplaces in almost all rooms’.
The property is set across three floors, totalling 4,200ft2 – and as well as the rolling green grounds, the home has several outbuildings.
The 4,200 square feet main house includes a large reception hall with an ‘attractive staircase’ and ‘ornate stained-glass interior windows’
The landing on the first floor leads to a ‘triple-aspect principal bedroom’, a main guest bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, and three further bedrooms, served by a large traditional bathroom with ball-and-claw bath and a large walk-in shower
Its drawing room has a double aspect, with doors to the south giving access to the gardens and a marble fireplace with wood-burning stove
It includes a separate cottage and ‘an enormous range of high-quality outbuildings’ providing a studio, gym, office complex and an open plan games/party room
‘The property is graced with considerable natural light and wonderful original features to include large sash windows,’ the agents said
Bedfords describe the grounds of the house as ‘one of the most exceptional settings we have seen for some time’
The property has two further double bedrooms, sharing a large bathroom, on the second floor
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