Hattershall Manor

Having been in the mood to build something different to what I usually build, I decided to go for something even more historic than the usual Victorian era homes I build, seeing as Halloween was approaching I decided to create something fitting for the time of year too. I've also recently watched American Horror Story: Coven, which was also of considerable influence to the lot in that I wanted to created a lot geared towards being a school of witchcraft. And so I present Hattershall Manor; a grand English manor house in the Jacobean style, with a supernatural twist…

Back Story:
The Hattershall Manor you see today was built by a newly inherited Lord Clement Ashleigh in the later years of the Jacobean era to replace an earlier medieval manor house that was no longer representative of the wealth of the estate to which it belonged. This drastic change was not prompted by any drastic change in finances, but instead by the willing of his new wife at the time; Lady Cicely Ashleigh. The origins of her ladyship were cause of many local myths after Clement happened upon her in the woods of the estate one November morning. She was found abandoned in her carriage with all her worldly possessions and not a single horse nor footman to drive the carriage. It is said that the suspicion that should have be aroused in the mind of Clement as he discovered her was shrouded by the love he felt upon first laying eyes on the fair beauty of Cicely. Her beauty bewitched and enchanted him into bringing her back to the manor house and asking her then and there to marry him. They were married in the parish church by the end of the week. Construction began on a new manor house not long after that. It was on Lady Cicely's wishes that it was built away from the village rather than at the centre of it like the medieval manor was. It is thought that she valued her privacy very deeply and that the view of the crooked and rambling cottages of the villages displeased her so. Lord Clement was very close to the people of his village and of his estate so it was thought highly unlike him to agree to live so far from the people he loved. The speed at which the new house was built astounded many locals as well. A process that should have taken a decade or so ended up only taking 9 months. It is on the day of completion of the new house that Lady Cicely birthed the first and only child of Lord Clement. To cut down on costs, the Ashleigh family simply took out what they wanted from the medieval manor in the village and then set fire to it. Lady Clement is said to have stood on the smoldering ashes and breathed them in as if she were absorbing some kind of power from them. Lord Clement died of a supposed heart attack on the third night of living in his new home. Having birthed the heir to Lord Clement, Lady Cicely was allowed to assume ownership of the estate and run it as she pleased. From that point on Lady Cicely withdrew from the community; she fired all the house staff and brought in a new selection of people to live in and run the house. Over the following centuries that is how the house has remained. Any time members of the household were spotted outside of the house they were dressed in identical black robes. Even the family wore the same robes, however they were distinguished by the addition of the gold jewellery and needlework that they bore. This fueled village gossip and local lore into believing that there was most certainly something supernatural going on within the manor and that it had all begun with Cicely. While it could never be proved, it is assumed that she was heading north with her sisters after fleeing their previous home in East Anglia. The witch trials were soon to be in full swing both down there and then later in the colonies. And so it is very much believed that they were a coven of witches who had managed to evade capture and inevitable murder. But nothing is know of what ever happened to the sisters. It was thought that they were among the people brought in to help run the house after the death of Lord Clement. But nobody is entirely certain.
But one thing that is certain is that the goings on in Hattershall Manor and in the village of Hattershall have immortalised the home in local lore and legend.

Built on a 40 by 40 lot, the house cost 517,035 Simoleons furnished and 282,588 Simoleons unfurnished. Being a community lot, I have decided to set the lot as a 'Supernatural Hangout'. The home could easily make a great family home if you were to then set it as residential and place a stove in the kitchen.
Notes:
While the size of the lot is only 40 by 40, I have crammed a lot of stuff in to it, so that's something to bare in mind if you run on a slower computer.
The plants in the kitchen garden might not be accessible with the low fence around them, so in order for them to be usable as well as decorative you may have to remove them yourself.

I hope you will all have a fun Halloween and enjoy this lot as much as I have.


Lot Size: 40x40
Lot Price: 517,035 Simoleons