What £3.25million can buy you in the North vs in London Eggleston Hall complete with 16 farms, 13 bedrooms and walled gardens hits the market for the same price as a tiny flat in Mayfair

A stunning Grade-II listed mansion has hit the market for ‘cheap as chips’, according to one luxury estate agent, especially once it’s compared to the cost of a London apartment.

Walled gardens, stables and 13 grand bedrooms are all included at Eggleston Hall, in County Durham, for a price tag of £3.25million – which, astonishingly, is also the same sum for an 839 square foot one-bedroom flat in Mayfair.

The 22,000 square foot mansion, boasting six reception rooms and surrounded by 100 acres of picturesque nature, features on Britain’s Most Expensive Homes, airing tonight on Channel 4.

Sold by freelance luxury estate agent Toby Cockcroft, who described it as ‘cheap as chips’, the lavish property has been in Sir William Gray’s family for more than 100 years.

His great-grandfather bought the property to welcome his son back home after World War Iwhen he was taken as a prisoner of war – but despite its impressive size, the hall was only used for fishing at weekends by Sir William’s ancestor.

Sir William and his wife, Lady Juliet Gray, are only selling their home because they want to ‘move with the times’ and downsize after their six children have flown the nest.

However, they might not be rushing to move to London, since the money from the sale of their mansion would only get them an apartment that is drastically smaller than what they’re used to.

The tiny leasehold property available in London, for example, pales in comparison to the mansion, as it is 21,161 square feet smaller for the same price of £3.25million due to its prestigious location opposite Green Park and Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, Eggleston Hall has a grand dining room that can comfortably seat 16 guests and hallways with unique period features and paintings.

The Georgian stately home also offers six miles of salmon and trout fishing, 16 farms and a place to store horses.

It was initially ‘bought on a whim’ after William’s great-grandfather got chatting on a train to an estate agent who was selling the property and decided to buy it without viewing it first.

In 1971, it changed hands and was passed down to William’s parents, who made it their full-time home.

After his father died, his mother was unsure what to do with the sizable home and decided to turn it into a school for young ladies.

They learnt skills such as cooking, typing and flower arranging and the house even featured on the ITV TV show, ‘Ladette to Lady’ in the early noughties.

Sir William and his wife Lady Juliet are only selling the home because they want to ‘move with the times’ and downsize.

‘It’s a big place, we’ve got children grown up and we don’t really need the accommodation that the house has got,’ Sir William said.

‘The children don’t want to take it on, they’re quite happy for us to move on and leave it to someone else.’

While William and his wife Juliet originally put the property up for sale for £6million, they soon dropped it by nearly 50 per cent.

Juliet said: ‘When you start high, there’s only one way to go, which is down; it might make people think “What is wrong with this property?”‘

Toby – who once made a property sale in 27 seconds – said that he believes international buyers will likely be interested in the hall.

‘It’s international wealth that recognises this as their own piece of England, their County Durham estate,’ he told the couple.

But if the couple decide to move from their Northern home to a place in London, they can expect far less for their money in terms of size.

The apartment in Mayfair is more than 21,000 square feet smaller, however, estate agent Knight Frank boasted that the stylish flat ‘overlooks a private landscaped courtyard’.

The newly built One Carrington Street also has a 24/7 concierge service, a residence lounge and library and ‘ample parking’ with electric vehicle charging points, along with ‘around-the-clock’ security monitoring.

The flat comes unfurnished with an open kitchen, dining and living space, along with one en-suite in the singular bedroom and a main bathroom.