Noël Coward may have described Norfolk as ‘very flat’, but the property market in East Anglia is anything but.
Spring has come early in Norfolk, although I’m told that it may be a month or two before this year’s star country properties find their way into the pages of Country Life. Nevertheless, ‘despite a tendency for vendors to test the water by going for an initial off-market launch, we’ve done half a dozen deals at around the £1.5 million market during the winter months – a time when we often find ourselves twiddling our thumbs in this part of the world,’ says a relaxed Ben Marchbank of Bedfords in Burnham Market.
He’s happy to go public on Grade II-listed The Grange in the historic market town of Aylsham – 11 miles from Cromer and 13 miles from Norwich – adjoining the 4,500-acre Blickling estate, which, since 1940, has been run by the National Trust. Bedfords quote a guide price of £1.45 million for The Grange, a fine, late-Georgian house built on the site of an earlier dwelling in about 1810 and set in 1.69 acres of charming, part-walled gardens and grounds.
It stands well back from the road behind a high red-brick wall and comes with a cottage, stabling and outbuildings. The house has been beautifully renovated by the well-respected craftsmen of A. J. Cooper of Calthorpe for the present owners, who bought the property in 2013.
It now offers 6,623sq ft of ideal family living space, including four reception rooms, a study, a splendid kitchen/breakfast room, master and guest suites, five further bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The cottage is in need of refurbishment and hasn't been used by the current owners, but once it has been updated, the one-bedroom with kitchen and sitting room will become a perfect guest house. The outbuildings include a garage and a workshop, as well as two stables.
-
Dawn Chorus: A Blue Plaque for Marc Bolan, holidaying in the Caribbean with Francis Ford Coppola and a history of the National Gallery in 25 picturesPlus the best of the property pages, and how the railways will save the countryside.
-
Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
-
Five palatial mansions for sale, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
-
Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North DownsA contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
