The historic mansion where the notorious gangster Kray twins lived as boys to escape German bombs during World War Two has hit the market – with a £2 million price tag.
The grand red-brick property in a small peaceful market town was one of many used to house families fleeing from London’s East End which was being pounded nightly by German bombers in the early 1940s.
Thousands of terrified Londoners – including the two brothers who grew up to become Britain’s most notorious gangsters – were evacuated out into the countryside after Hitler vowed to use the might of the Luftwaffe to destroy the capital.
Described in 1801 as ‘an elegant brick and sash house’ and in 1844 as ‘well suited for the residence of a genteel family’, the house is steeped in history and was recently the subject of renovation works to bring it up to date.
It is now on the market for a guide price of £2.25m.
The historic mansion where the notorious gangster Kray twins lived as boys to escape German bombs during World War Two has hit the market for £2.25m
The grand red-brick property in a small peaceful market town was one of many used to house families fleeing from London ‘s East End which was being pounded nightly by German bombers in the early 1940s
The Kray twins spent time in the house with their mother and brother during the Second World War
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom mansion boasts a double reception room, sitting room, drawing room, dining area and study, as well as a utility room, cellars and shepherds hut.
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The property has a large driveway, terracing, formal walled garden and a lawn area.
The kitchen features granite worktops, a built in Welsh dresser and four-oven AGA.
Many people with large homes in the country offered sanctuary to families fleeing the Blitz during the Second World War, which destroyed thousands of houses and claimed more than 40,000 lives in the capital.
The infamous Krays’ early rural experience left a lasting impression on them – they were welcomed at the magnificent Georgian house in Hadleigh, Suffolk, and while their old East End neighbourhood was pulverised by high-explosives, Reggie and Ronnie played cowboys, picked apples and made new friends with other children in their very posh Suffolk refuge.
Now on the market, the selling agents Jackson-Stops describe East House as ‘a classic Grade II* Georgian fronted property, with large-scale Victorian additions overlooking the landscaped gardens and located within the historic core of Hadleigh, Suffolk.’
The home was once a grammar school, but it was during WW2 that the then owners Dr and Mrs Styles hosted London evacuees – including Violet Kray and her three young sons, Charles and twins Ronald and Reginald.
After the war the twins returned to London and became the capital’s most feared gangsters, before buying their mother a cottage in Bildeston, a picturesque village five miles from Hadleigh, and a large country house for themselves in 1967.
The kitchen features granite worktops, a built in Welsh dresser and four-oven AGA
Described in 1801 as ‘an elegant brick and sash house’ and in 1844 as ‘well suited for the residence of a genteel family’, the house is steeped in history and was recently the subject of renovation works to bring it up to date
Their own grand mansion with seven bedrooms was set in six acres of grounds and sold two years ago for a reported £2.25 million.
The infamous duo were regulars in Bildeston’s four pubs.
One villager who remembers them said: ‘They may have had a bad reputation in London but when they were here they were popular – they clearly adored their mum and all they wanted was for her to be happy and comfortable here which she was.
‘Bildeston is a small community and we look after one another.
‘When the twins came into the bar it meant drinks all round – they were just like ordinary blokes when they were down here in Suffolk.
‘They bought kids ice creams and enjoyed being here – away from their lives in London. It must have been nostalgic for them to come back after part of their childhood was spent just a few miles away in Hadleigh.’
But their visits were cut short in 1969 when police swooped on the gang, just days after they had been enjoying a pleasant break at their Suffolk mansion.
Ronnie was convicted of the murder of fellow gangster George Cornell who was shot dead in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel in 1966, and Reggie was found guilty of killing Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie in 1967 – both the brothers were handed life sentences.
Ronnie said: ‘It was the first time we ever went to the country and we got to like it. The quietness, the peacefulness of it, the fresh air, nice scenery – it was different from London.’
