There’s something wonderfully calming about the unspoilt coast of north Norfolk. Nowhere exemplifies this feeling more than Appletree House in Brancaster , a nine-bedroom home that has just come on to the market at £4.3 million.
Designed as a holiday home by Col Jack Lesley and his wife, Margo, in 1925, it was originally known as Appletree Cottage. After the Second World War the house became their permanent residence.
It was built and landscaped with great thought from the outset, the house and its discreet, south-facing gardens – described by A. J. Huxley in Country Life back in April 1961 as ‘a Riviera garden in Norfolk’ – retain much of the elegance, style and character of that roaring decade.
Reassuringly, it appears that, despite its proximity to the sea, the property has never been flooded, neither during the severe coastal flooding of 2013, nor the epic storm of 1953.
A private driveway leads past the former gardener’s and housekeeper’s cottages, currently used as holiday lets, to the house itself. Entered from the garden via a walled archway, it has been completely refurbished in the past two years and now boasts almost 9,000sq ft of living space.
There is an extensive kitchen/breakfast room, a dining room and an impressive drawing room, all of which enjoy spectacular views over Brancaster’s famous saltmarshes.
An open-sided covered walkway links the main house to The Folly, which has also been refurbished, with the addition of an upper floor, providing even more dramatic views over the marshes.
Inside the main house, a grand staircase leads to four double bedrooms, including a cheerful master suite with access to a large roof terrace; a further bedroom on the second floor even has its own private terrace.
The garden proper, which has remained virtually unchanged since it was first laid out, is on the landward side of the house, screened from the sea – and the wind – by buildings, and around its southern perimeter, by trees.
Built on a rectangular plan, it consists of a series of self-contained units, largely designed to flower in succession. In April, old orchard fruits, daffodils and fritillaries bloom; in May, the iris garden is at its best; and by June, the whole garden is in flower.
One of north Norfolk’s most sought-after coastal villages, Brancaster – four miles from trendy Burnham Market – caters for almost everything a sporting resident could wish for, from the challenging links of the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, to family sailing at nearby Brancaster Staithe and good pub grub at The Ship Hotel, run by television chef/landlord Chris Coubrough.
Appletree House is for sale via Strutt & Parker and Sowerbys – see more details and pictures.
Credit: Lock House - former home of Adele - Strutt & Parker
A convent that became a superstar's mansion, complete with ballroom, helipad and indoor pool
A magnificent country house in Sussex is for sale which was once the home to a group of nuns – and
Top 10 driving songs: Country Life's road trip playlist
What could be better than cruising down a country lane beneath a crisp, blue sky? Doing it to the perfect
Credit: Lambert Smith
The home of the Queen Mother’s uncle goes on the market
You’ll be able to buy a substantial historic property in Northumberland – and increase your disposable income.
Come on in, the water’s lovely: Why we all love a lido
Britain’s historic outdoor swimming pools, long neglected, are back in business.
-
Can't you hear me S.O.S? Our treasured native dog breeds are at risk of extinctionDo you know your Kerry blue terrier from your Lancashire heeler? A simple lack of publicity is often to blame for some of the UK's native dog breeds flying dangerously low under-the-radar.
-
'There are architects and architects, but only one ARCHITECT': Sir Edwin Lutyens and the wartime Chancellor who helped launch his stellar careerClive Aslet explores the relationship between Sir Edwin Lutyens and perhaps his most important private client, the politician and financier Reginald McKenna.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
