Dramatic ‘inflatable path’ rescue of man sinking in mud in grounds of £4.25m mansion that was once home to Evita

They were called to the luxurious 1928-built Georgian-style manor house Norcott Hall – which was once home to Argentinean first lady Eva Peron – at about 8.10am.

The property is currently being marketed by Savills with a guide price of £4,250,000

The advert says it is ‘near the end of a dead-end country lane bordered by National Trust land close to the small village of Northchurch’.

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Simon Hoggett said lines and rescue poles were used to try and rescue the man who was trapped in mud today.

The water rescue unit rushed out and an inflatable path was then used to free the man.

An ambulance, rapid response car and Hazardous Area Response Team also went out to help him – and he was being treated by paramedics by 9.30am.

Head of communications for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust Joy Hale said: “Medically he was OK, but a bit cold. Once he was out of the water, they got him into the back of the ambulance and took him to hospital.”

Norcott Hall has 10 bedrooms – six of them en-suites, a ‘cinema/play room’, garaging for five cars, three cottages, a tennis court, outdoor manege, paddocks and ‘immaculate’ gardens.

Eva Peron – immortalised in popular culture through the musical and film Evita – is said to have been responsible for some internal works at the property. She was first lady of Argentina from 1946 until her tragic death from cancer aged just 33 in 1952.

Norcott Hall, which is next to Northchurch Common, is marketed at £4.25m for the main house and gardens – about nine acres in total.

Alternatively, it would cost £4.5m for the main house and 39 acres, or £5.95m for the main house, total land and three cottages.

Norcott Hall is described as a ‘beautifully presented country house’ that was partially remodelled in 1935 and ‘substantially modernised in recent years’.