This pretty Victorian Gothic property on the site of one of Norfolk's forgotten mansions boasts a master bedroom adorned in real gold among other luxury features. Property editor Caroline Culot went to visit Haveringland Hall House, for sale for offers over £1.1million.
I'm not sure how many times I've written about properties 'tucked' or 'nestled' or 'hidden' away but this one really is in the middle of the countryside, not just secluded but actually invisible from the road, accessed down a very long drive and situated in four acres of grounds.
It bears a date stone of 1849 so we know that it was built almost a decade after the grand Haveringland Hall itself.
The house for sale was built on the estate of one of Norfolk's forgotten grand houses; a magnificent home existed on the site as early as 1580 but the grandest was built in the early 1840s in the Italianate style by architect Edward Blore, who designed the west front of Buckingham Palace.
He designed the hall for Edward Fellowes, the first Baron de Ramsey, an MP, and maps still show it complete with an ice house and elaborate parkland gardens. However, two world wars brought the hall to its knees, because in the 1920s, the house found itself without an owner because the eldest heirs to the estate had been killed in action and the only single heir left was aged just 13 and he went off to a family seat in Cambridgeshire, leaving Haveringland rudderless.
During the second world war, the house was requistioned by the military and RAF Swannington was created, believed to be the last wartime aerodrome to be opened in Norfolk. Interestingly, it was called RAF Swannington rather than Haveringland, because of the family connections with Winston Churchill, so it was considered too much of a security risk. As a base, it was home to Mosquito and Spitfire squadrons and the house was used as the officer's mess before being demolished in 1947 after it suffered 'requistion damage' and was 'surplus to requirements.'
I believe Haveringhall Hall House to have been a farmhouse built on the estate possibly for workers but it was designed with flair, with pretty flint and brick, Gothic shaped window pediments and substantial chimneys suggesting someone of reasonable status to the estate once lived there.
It now offers a complete breath of fresh air, away from noise, traffic and stress - yet in fact, although you seem completely in the middle of nowhere, you are actually only 25 minutes from Norwich city centre and the local village, Cawston is only 2.5 miles away which has an excellent deli, shop, post office and a pub with Reepham just four miles away.
The owners bought it three years ago to 'recharge their batteries' after moving to Norfolk from London. They have added a fabulous heated swimming pool with sliding doors meaning you can enjoy it in all weathers and they have also created a feeling of luxury throughout the house, particularly evident in the master bedroom. This suite includes a dressing room leading into the master which is decorated in gold leaf on the walls and handpainted Japanese illustrations which is absolutely stunning and comes complete with a black and white bathroom.
The house also offers a fantastic mix of styles in that you have the Victorian Gothic features; a beamed reception hall with a fireplace and a garden room/snug all centred around an inner courtyard.
However, there is a side extension which gives you an enormous sitting room with the master bedroom above as well as a super contemporary kitchen/breakfast room and a separate dining room. At the rear is a really large games room which the couple have also improved. Upstairs, you have four further bedrooms in addition to the master and en suite, as well as two further en suites and a bathroom.
Outside, is a self contained, one bedroom detached cottage which is currently let for holidays for six months of the year but this could be an annexe and you also have substantial grounds - four acres with a paddock and stable block as well as a long driveway at the front and many established trees.
This house is a reminder that Haveringland once was home to grandeur and in a way, it still is.
Pymm & Co can be contacted on 01603 305805 www.pymmand.co.uk
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