The plot famously involved Cruella buying Dalmatian puppies and arranging for some litters to be stolen for her, and keeping them at Hell Hall to create her dream coat.Īll 87 puppies are eventually rescued in the book by canine heroes Pongo and Missis who find their own stolen litter in the country house. Walt Disney is said to have visited Greys Hall to get a feel for Hell Hall when he met Dodie Smith at her home to negotiate the film rights for her novel.
There was also a sequel 102 Dalmatians in 2000, featuring Close and Tim McInnery as her stuttering butler. The book was turned into the animated Disney film The One Hundred and One Dalmatians in 1961, and into a second film 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close as Cruella in 1996. The first editions of the book contain illustrations of creepy Hell Hall which are clearly modelled on the old frontage of Greys Hall. Smith, who lived in nearby Finchingfield between 1934 and her death in 1990 at the age of 94, wrote her best known novel in 1956. The house has a 200ft long tree-lined driveway and gardens which include a York stone terrace and an outbuilding currently used as a games room with apart-vaulted ceiling, exposed floorboards and a cloakroom. The first floor has three bedrooms including an en-suite and a family bathroom while three further double bedrooms and a shower room are on the second floor The first floor has three bedrooms including an en-suite and a family bathroom while three further double bedrooms and a shower room are on the second floor, along with double doors leading to a balcony. The rear of the kitchen features an 'attractive nook with exposed brickwork and space for a table and chairs'.Ī wood-panelled dining room is also across the hall with a distinctive feature fireplace and original wooden flooring. Stairs lead down to a lower ground floor kitchen and breakfast room with a large central island, and granite work surfaces. Several reception rooms feature extensive wood panelling and original fireplaces while there is also a library and study on the ground floor. Steps to the traditional front door lead to a 'welcoming' entrance hall featuring 'a resplendent easy rising carved oak staircase'. 'There is flexible accommodation set over four floors, with features including beautiful sash windows, original shutters, and window seats occupying elevated positions.' The details for the property state: 'The house has a feeling of grandeur and is very well-presented throughout, having been sympathetically restored. Sinister character Cruella who wanted to create a black and white spotted coat from Dalmatian fur
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