A Norfolk country house immortalised in the work of one of the 20th century’s most famous British writers has come up for sale for an incredible £2.6m.
Blo Norton Hall, near Diss, has links to the author Virginia Woolf and the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and is set in around 75 acres of parkland-style grounds.
Savills’ property agent Ben Rivett says the property is an “extraordinary” example of Elizabethan architecture, also offering impressive formal gardens and grounds and several outbuildings – including two cottages which may be available by separate negotiation.
“From the moment you arrive sweeping down the lime tree avenue, through to the incredible details you are inundated with when walking through the main door, this house is very special,” he says.
“But beyond its stunning period details, the property lays claim to some incredible history across more than 700 years, with one of the most iconic British authors of the 20th century setting a story at the house.
“This classic combination of impeccable architecture, intriguing history and beautiful location make Blo Norton Hall a real gem.”
While the Norfolk property market is not unused to sprawling estates or country manor houses, Blo Norton Hall is something else.
The author Virginia Woolf – who famously wrote Mrs Dalloway and A Room of One’s Own and was part of the Bloomsbury Group, an elite set of writers and artists – stayed at the property in 1906.
In her diary, she described the journey to the hall from Diss railway station: “…every mile seemed to draw a thicker curtain than the last between you and the world. So that finally, when you are set down at the hall, no sound whatever reaches your ear; the very light seems to filter through deep layers; and the air circulates slowly, as though it had but to make the circuit of the hall, and its duties were complete.”
She was so inspired by the place, in fact, that she set one of her short stories there – The Journal of Miss Joan Martyn – which details the life of Rosamund Merridew, an historian researching England’s land-tenure system, as she comes across a forgotten manor house.
Shortly after Woolf’s visit, the property was being rented by Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, son of Sir Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.
He rented the hall and lived there for the last 20 years of his life, before bequeathing a unique collection of Norfolk manuscripts to the county when he died.The collection is now held by the Norfolk Record Office and includes papers belonging to the Yarmouth shoemaker and poet, David Service.
There has been a property of some kind at the same site of Blo Norton Hall since around 1280, and the current Grade II star-listed property is constructed of a timber frame, wattle and daub and crow-stepped brick gables – creating a fine and imposing example of Elizabethan architecture.
Since 2009, the property has been the subject of large-scale improvement works, including new plumbing, wiring and redecoration, as well as new drainage systems and repairs to the roof.
The external façade is Elizabethan in style and handsome, featuring three distinctive bays and mullioned windows, overhanging eaves and impressive octagonal chimneys.
There’s much more inside too, including some fine examples of stained glass and original panelling, huge open fireplaces and original flooring – not to mention the distinctive atmosphere particular to such a historical home.
Sitting at the heart of the house is the dining hall, a space of grand proportions which enjoys natural light from two sides and impressive 16th century panelling. This leads through to an elegant drawing room and a good-sized living room that, in turn, leads into the garden.
The listing details refer to the open-plan kitchen and dining area as a “pleasant surprise”. It provides a more modern kitchen and living space than is typical of a home of this age and also features all the conveniences a contemporary chef could need, as well as a spacious island in the centre, feature fireplace and access to the gardens.
The first floor can be accessed by two separate staircases, and almost all the bedrooms enjoy en suite bath or shower rooms, with some even featuring en suites with both.
Any of the six bedrooms on the first floor could be used as a master suite, as they are all of an impressive scale and offer lovely views.
There are three further en suite bedrooms, and a games room, on the floor above.
Outside, Blo Norton Hall enjoys extensive formal gardens to the north, west and south-west, with defined areas divided by thick hornbeam hedging, gravelled pathways and lawns.
To the west of the house there is a brick-paved terrace, which serves as a beautiful suntrap between the north and south wings and overlooks a box and bay parterre.
Formal lawns sweep away from the house towards a pond, and there’s a bridge over the moat to the park beyond.
The wider grounds include plenty of parking space and a range of outbuildings off a good-sized courtyard. These buildings provide great scope for further use, perhaps even as a swimming pool, and there are also two Victorian cottages available by separate negotiation.
To the south there is a hard tennis court, and the remaining land is mainly made up of arable, parkland and meadows, with the Little Ouse meandering along the southern boundary.
For more details, contact Savills.
PROPERTY FACTS
Hall Lane, Blo Norton
Guide price: £2,600,000
Savills, 01603 229229
www.savills.com
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