Kray twins' Suffolk mansion in Bildeston reduced to £2m

Earlier this year, The Brooks in Bildeston was listed on the market for the first time in 30 years.

It was initially put up for sale with a price tag of £2.25m in July, but that figure has now come down by £250,000 as a buyer is sought.

Ronnie and Reggie Kray originally bought the Suffolk bolthole in 1967 for £11,000.

The brothers developed a love for the Suffolk countryside after being evacuated from London during the Second World War when they were sent to East House Lodge in Hadleigh, where they were enrolled in local schools.

Composite picture of the Kray twins Ronnie (left) and Reggie (Image: PA)

In tapes recorded at Broadmoor, the hospital in Berkshire for the criminally insane, Ronnie Kray reflected on his time spent in the county, from tobogganing at Hadleigh and scrumping for apples.

He also recalled purchasing The Brooks in Bildeston and explained how he and his brother would go on antique-purchasing trips in East Anglia.

In the tapes, Ronnie said: "When we was little kids we got evacuated to Suffolk, near Ipswich.

"We went to a Mrs Styles's place in Suffolk — she had a mansion there – and we stayed with her. It was the first time we ever went to the county and we got to like the country.”

What appealed was “the quietness, the peacefulness of it, the fresh air, nice scenery, nice countryside - different from London.

"We used to go to a big 'ill called Constitution Hill and used to go sledging there in the winter-time. We had a good time there, you know.”

They bought their home in Suffolk in 1967, at the height of their infamy, when they were looking both for a rural bolthole for themselves and a country home for their parents Violet and Charlie.

The Brooks, Bildeston (Image: Bedfords)

They bought a pink country cottage near the post office for their parents and a large house – The Brooks – for themselves.

The home, now listed by Bedfords, is described as a "seven-bedroom period house" located within a six-acre setting.

It is said to be an "exceptional unlisted period house of elegant proportions and versatile accommodation".

The Brooks is believed to date back to the 16th century but was then extended and gentrified in the early 18th century with later Victorian alterations.

The Brooks dining room (Image: Bedfords)

Now, the home also has an "enormous" range of high-quality outbuildings including a studio, gym, office complex and games room.

The Kray twins Ronnie and Reggie were born on October 24, 1933, in Hoxton, East London.

In 1969, at the Old Bailey, they were each jailed for life with a recommendation they serve at least 30 years.

Ronnie was convicted of murdering George Cornell in March, 1966 and Reggie was found guilty of murdering underworld associate Jack "The Hat" McVitie in October, 1967.

Ronnie died in the spring of 1995 after suffering a heart attack. He had been taken to a Berkshire hospital from Broadmoor.

His twin, Reggie, died in Norwich in October, 2000, of cancer.