ELIZABETHAN moated manor Harvington Hall, near Chaddesley Corbett, is one of the top houses in England, according to national newspaper columnist Simon Jenkins, who fell for it after making a secret visit.

The hall appears in his book, England's Thousand Best Houses, which draws from his weekly column in The Times.Harvington House volunteer Julia Lowe with a copy of Simon Jenkins' acclaimed book.

Harvington gained a four-star rating, putting it in the top 100 of all England's historic piles by the leading journalist and writer.

The manor house, three miles south of Kidderminster, is in some top-notch company, alongside Woburn Abbey and Warwick Castle, which also gained four stars.

Five stars are reserved for the "super league" stately homes, such as Windsor Castle and Chatsworth.

According to hall manager, Sherida Breeden, Mr Jenkins visited Harvington incognito.

She said: "He must have come around as a mystery guest. We did not know he had been at all until we had a letter telling us about the entry."

The book, a hardback tome, describes the 1,000 best houses in England and the top 100 have been awarded four or five stars.

Mrs Breeden said: "Mr Jenkins said in the book that the top 100 are nominated for 'outstanding architectural quality and public display'.

"We are really pleased to be in the book and especially to be so highly rated. It is a tribute to the volunteers.

"It is really them who present the story of the house."

Seven priests' hiding places in the house, owned by the Roman Catholic Church, were of particular interest in Mr Jenkins's two-page entry, as well as rare wall paintings.

She said she hoped that the glowing review would boost visitor numbers at the hall, which opens for the new season this weekend.

A lively programme will kick off with a Medieval Living History Weekend, including authentic re-enactments.

The hall will be open at weekends throughout March from 11.30am to 4.30pm and in April this will extend to Wednesday to Sunday opening.

England's Thousand Best Houses is published by Penguin and is priced £30.