The house which was once home to the woman who gave her name to Great Dunmow’s only secondary school is on the market for £850,000.

Tanglewood House in Duton Hill dates back to 1584 and was the family home of Helena Romanes and her husband, Captain Romanes, between the 1920s and 1950s. She was the first chair of governors to the new school when it was built in 1958. It later became a comprehensive school in 1970 and is now an academy with some 1,500 pupils.

The main house has four bedrooms and a number of wood panelled rooms, with many fittings rumoured to have come from nearby Tilty Abbey when it was closed down. The air raid shelter built by Helena Romanes in the two acre grounds still exists and is a wine cellar.

The current owner, Winton Jones said: “Tanglewood House has been our home for 22 years and we feel privileged to have lived in such a historic property.”

The house is with estate agent, Mullucks Wells. Manager, Lloyd Richards said: “The rooms are large and grand On top of that, the views from the property are stunning.”