An A-list celebrity is rumoured to be on the verge of buying a glamorous countryside mansion in Essex.

Alresford Hall has a price tag of £4 million and would make an ideal rural hideaway for someone famous with cash to spare.

Hollywood beauty Keira Knightley was widely suggested to be interested in the 169-acre estate, five miles east of Colchester, and fans have posted messages on the internet speculating about her connection with it.

On a website dedicated to the actress, one visitor writes: "I heard from a friend that Keira Knightley is moving to a mansion in the English countryside called Alresford Hall.

"I was just wondering as I live reasonably nearby.

"Also it's suspicious as there are security cameras going up, but the websites say it is still up for sale."

Estate agency John D Wood, which is handling the sale, said the movie star had made no inquiries about the grade-II listed hall in Ford Lane, Alresford.

Charles Rowe, of the Chelmsford-based firm, would not deny a celebrity was involved and told the Echo and Gazette: "I am not at liberty to say.

"We definitely have no knowledge of Keira Knightley or anyone acting on her behalf looking at the property."

If Keira Knightley did move to the Tendring district, she would be just down the road from King Arthur co-star Clive Owen.

He bought house in Wrabness about three years ago and has since become patron of the historic Electric Palace cinema in nearby Harwich.

Alresford Hall is a Queen Anne country house with eight reception rooms including a library, 14 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and formal gardens.