AN HISTORIC country estate set in 65 acres of rolling parkland has gone on the market with a £4.5m price tag.

The chief executive of Flamingo Land theme park, Gordon Gibb, is selling Kingthorpe House, Pickering, after an intensive two-year refurbishment.

The property has been meticulously restored to its former glory by the Gibb family, who originally intended the 9,000 sq ft eight-bedroomed house to be their family home.

The redevelopment has also introduced state-of-the-art innovation to the house, to create an ultra-modern environment for family life and work.

Kingthorpe’s heritage stretches back to a mention in the Doomsday Book of 1086 and the current country house was developed by the Fothergill family in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The house, which has six reception rooms, was also the home of Richard Rowntree and his family for three decades from 1966.

“This is one of the finest country estates in the north of England and the comprehensive renovation programme that has only just been a completed makes it certainly one of the most high tech large estates on the market,” said Toby Cockcroft of agents Croft Residential.

“The attention to detail that the owner has shown in specifying the original features and carefully restoring the fabric of the building is really impressive.”