Jamie Oliver granted permission for repairs on his Essex mansion

TV chef Jamie Oliver has got listed building consent to renovate the south wing of his multi-million pound country pad in Essex.

The celebrity cook has been granted for permission to repair the Georgian timber sash windows and French doors on the section of his Grade one listed Spains Hall in Finchingfield.

He has also got permission from Braintree District Council to repoint some of the brick work on that part of his 16th Century Elizabethan country house.

Jamie bought his 70-acre estate at the start of 2019 and had building work done on before he moved in, including the restoration of many of the house's original features including a well on the ground floor, a priest hole on the first floor and a two-storey red-brick Tudor gazebo in the gardens, which is named The Prayer house.

He has continued to restore the historic property over the last five years to create the perfect family home.

Now with the go-ahead given by the local authority, the chef will be able to carry out repair work in the section of the building, which includes repairing the windows which are currently difficult to open.

A design and access statement from Firstplan stated: 'As set out above and in the supporting Heritage Statement, the proposed alterations are minor in nature and are not considered to detract from the character or special architectural interest of Spains Hall.

'Rather, the proposals are completely in keeping with its original domestic use and propose sympathetic and sensitive repair work to support its use as a family home.'

The application stated that repairs to the sash windows and French doors would be 'sensitive' and 'made using traditional splice repairs.'

It added: 'The mechanisms on the sash windows will be cleaned and re-weighted where needed to enable them to open smoothly.'

Spains Hall is built on the plot of an original 11th Century moated manor house. The gardens and parkland are Grade II listed and were landscaped by renowned architect Humphrey Repton in around 1807,

The manor house boasts 12 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a large games room, great hall, dining room, two drawing rooms and a wine storage area.

Other work needed to be done in the house include the 20th century timber boards over the French doors which are said to be rotten with the chef wanting them to be removed and replaced 'using like for like timber.' 

The brick repointing will be done using 'lime mortar' and there is also a plan to replace 20th Century concrete parapet copings on the South Wing using traditional Clipsham limestone. 

The property also comes with an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and fishing lakes. 

The garden includes a 16th century walled garden and a mid-19th century formal garden. 

The house had only been used by three families and hadn't been sold for 250 years when Jamie bought it.