A 17TH Century Somerset mansion has sold for over £1million.

The Grade I-listed Halswell House, in Goathurst, was bought at auction for £1.125million – well above its guide price of £650-960,000.

The mystery winning bidder plans to make the mansion – and its 30 acres of land – his home.

Specialist land and property auctioneers Clive Emson ran the auction in Cornwall.

Auctioneer Graham Barton, who is the West Country’s featured auctioneer on BBC1’s Homes Under the Hammer, said: “This was a unique opportunity and we had a great deal of interest from a variety of parties.

“Ultimately the bidding war came down to two individuals.

“The mansion and Tudor manor are set in 30 acres of Somerset countryside and we understand the new owner intends to call the mansion ‘home’.

“Five houses on the estate were purchased with the lot so the new owner is well on his way to having his own hamlet.

“The mansion house is in an elevated position with breath-taking rural views over the Somerset countryside.

“The Tudor manor house does need some urgent and major investment but the mansion is in good enough condition for the new owner to move into straight away.

“Opportunities to bid on something of this scale and of such historical and architectural importance are astonishingly rare.”

Halswell House sits in the Grade II-listed Halswell Park, which has its origins in the 11th century.