This stunning fortified manor house in Yorkshire with its own secret cave is for sale

Mortham Tower dates from the 14th century, having been built after an earlier manor on the site was burned to the ground by invading Scots.

For sale: 10-bedroom Yorkshire mansion that has its own hat room

The house at Rokeby, on the border of North Yorkshire and County Durham and situated on the banks of the Tees, is so beautiful that the noted author Sir Walter Scott even wrote a poem about it while sitting inside an artificial cave which still exists on the estate and which was built especially for his private use.

It has 80 acres of riverside parkland, which include a farmyard and a tennis court.

Fancy living in this Tolkien-style gentleman's retreat in the North York Moors?

It is known in the region for its distinctive four-storey 'Pele' tower - one of the few outside of Scotland and the most southerly example of the architecture still standing.

The house is built around a central courtyard accessed via an arched gateway, and it has wings, a great hall, a great chamber, a wine cellar and even its own ghost, known as Mortham Dobie.

The manor was built by Sir Thomas Rokeby, whose coat of arms can still be seen in the courtyard.

Mortham later passed to architect Sir Thomas Robinson, who preferred to reside at nearby Rokeby Park and sold the entire estate to the Morritt family to clear his debts.

The property became derelict in the early part of the 20th century before Linda Morritt began an extensive restoration programme after purchasing it from her brother in 1938.

She installed central heating and added a greenhouse to the courtyard.

Outside, there are Grade II-listed stables, a kitchen garden, two duck ponds and five acres of ornamental woodland.

The 11-bedroom house last sold for £3.2million, but the asking price for the current sale has not been disclosed.