There’s a certain skill in marrying the elegance of the traditional English country home with the modern fittings that make life easy, more comfortable and more bearable. Emma Sims-Hilditch is one of the great proponents of this art, which sounds easy in theory, but in reality, is much more difficult to execute.
That’s not to say that every Elizabethan home with a flat-screen television and induction hobs looks bad — far from it. More that such is the contrast in styles that it is difficult to do really well.
One home that has found this perfect sweet spot between style and historic substance is Sharrington Hall near Holt in Norfolk. On the market for £4.5 million with Savills, the property neatly lands on that tightrope of respecting its heritage, but updating it to create a home that is effortlessly modern.
Take the reception rooms for example — bits of exposed brick here and there, original doors, and exposed beams, but also light-filled, painted in soft palettes and spacious. It looks and feels both modern and historic at the same time, rather than a bit of both.
The home itself is exceptionally old, with original 11th century origins largely supplemented by 16th and 17th century additions. For sale for only the third time since the 18th century, it offers six bedrooms, five bathrooms and seven reception rooms over its three floors. Overall, the main house offers some 5,538sq ft of living space.
The phrase ‘the main house’ implies the existence of other, ‘not main’, houses. You would be correct in this analysis. There are also five separate cottages, currently used as holiday lets, which have been reviewed by esteemed publications such as The Times, The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller and The Evening Standard. They have not, as of yet, been reviewed by Country Life, which is of course the ultimate test. If, after reading this, you choose to purchase this property, it is vital that you invite us round.
The gardens and grounds, which extend to just over 1.5 acres, are part walled and private, planted with wild flowers, formal beds, various shrubs and trees. There is also a car port and a further undeveloped Grade II listed barn that has a considerable amount of development potential, and plenty of other outbuildings, one of which is used as an artist’s studio.
Credit: JB Estates
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