Church Terrace

From an ornately pargeted façade to the warped beams of the bedrooms, the house wears its heritage with a youthful air

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The picture-perfect bookend to a short terrace of characterful cottages, this Grade II-listed, four-bedroom house in Huntingfield, Suffolk has undergone a complete renovation. Originally two connected cottages, it has been thoroughly united by a bright and contemporary rear extension. All work has been carried out with astonishing care and respect for the building’s past; a new roof, insulation, lime plastering, air source heat pump and wood-fired hot tub have ensured the house will be a comfortable and rejuvenating home for years to come.

Setting the Scene

Dating to the 16th century, the cottage is bedecked with some Suffolk’s finest vernacular hallmarks: panels of chevroned pargeting have been painstakingly restored and painted a brilliant white to contrast smartly with pitch-black timber hood mouldings. A steeply pitched clay-tiled roof encloses two stories of bedrooms and swoops down to a bipartite catslide roof at the rear.

The terrace that this house sits at the end of is integral to, and indicative of, the heritage of Huntingfield. The hamlet is an ancient collection of buildings that stretch out along the valley of an eastwards draining tributary of the River Blyth, which becomes estuarine at Blythburgh, eventually reaching the North Sea between Walberswick and Southwold.

The Grand Tour

Set beyond a white picket fence, the monochromatic façade of Church Terrace is a sight to behold. A detailed timber porch with scalloped fascia boarding lends a romantic appeal and provides cover for the house’s front door.

The ground floor is divided into three generous primary spaces: a dining room, a living room and the kitchen. The dining and living rooms occupy the older part of the house and are shaped by a series of original features.

In the dining room, layers of paint have been carefully stripped back to reveal a verdigris-toned patina that complements the deep chestnut-brown of the floorboards that run across to an open fireplace.

The living room, like the dining room, rests below white-washed beams, and has a basketweave-laid terracotta brick flooring that adds a tonal warmth from below. A broad bressummer stretches across its fireplace, which is now home to a wood-burning stove. The original internal window has been retained and offers a glimpse of the kitchen and garden beyond.

Set between the twin outriggers of the cottages, the kitchen is a decidedly contemporary space designed by architects Gorniak and McKechnie. Above, a birch ply-encased ceiling, cupboards, walkway and walls are interwoven with the exposed and white-washed brick of the existing cottages. Stainless-steel cabinets run below the internal window, encasing a Fisher and Paykel dishwasher and a deep, integrated sink. A sun yellow Everhot 120i sits beneath a commercial-grade extractor in one corner. At the centre, a reclaimed workbench has been fitted with a sink and has space for food preparation and stool seating.

A slender steel post props up one outrigger, opening up the kitchen to a ply-clad hallway. From here, the main side entrance, downstairs WC and boot room extend. A large glazed bifold door leads to the rear garden and, in turn, an insulated studio within an old outbuilding. It has a wood burner, pine-clad ceilings, Norfolk pamment floors and a picture window.

At the other end, through the old back stable door, is the scullery. An original wash copper takes up one corner, and bespoke oak cabinetry houses a window-lit ceramic sink.

Two sets of stairs lead from either cottage to the first floor, connected by a cantilevered walkway. There are two bedrooms here, each separated by a dressing room and a study. Both have deep windows with views out over the front garden. One bedroom has a wood-burning stove set within a stone fireplace and steps down to a bright bathroom; here, arsenic-green timber details contrast pleasingly with polished nickel taps and the deep maroon Rosso Levanto marble and porcelain tiles behind a freestanding bath.

At the opposite end is the second bedroom, with dual-aspect windows and a working open fire. Across the landing is a shared bathroom with a Calacatta amber marble-lined walk-in shower and dual sinks. Polished brass taps here complements the honeyed stone walls.

Two further staircases rise up to the second floor, where two bedrooms lie alongside one another beneath the steep rafters. A characterful tangle of exposed beams and trusses adds an embracing atmosphere.

The Great Outdoors

Extensive gardens surround the house. The front garden has formal beds packed with perennials including bearded iris, alliums, dahlias, roses, contrasted with the soft plumes of architectural bronze fennel. Stone-filled gabions curve around a gravel parking area.

To the rear, a lawn runs down to a bank of managed deciduous woodland. A yew hedge runs to one side, and a brick wall to the other, sheltering a wood-fired hot tub. Deep beds of perennials flank the boundary side and serve to softly break down the space ahead of a small orchard. There is access, via an iron farm gate, to an additional parking area here.

Opening out from the kitchen is a Yorkstone terrace with integrated beds filled with headily scented herbs. The space has been designed as an extension of the kitchen, connected seamlessly when the bifold doors are wide open.

Out and About

Huntingfield is a pretty hamlet, around 20 minutes inland from Dunwich on Suffolk’s Heritage Coast (which in turn sits between Southwold and Aldeburgh), close to the popular market town of Halesworth. Built on a Roman settlement, Halesworth is full of historic buildings, from timber-framed houses to Victorian former almshouses. It has a variety of shops, many independently owned, including Focus Organic, and The Black Dog Delicatessen.

There are some fantastic antique shops nearby, as well as The Cut, a vibrant community arts centre in a 19th-century malting building with a full programme of exhibitions, dance, theatre, music, workshops and courses. The nearby Blyth Estuary is one of the best spots around for birdwatching in Suffolk. The arts are well served in the area; both Snape Maltings and Leiston Abbey host celebrated concerts that draw many international musicians.

Saxmundham and Framlingham are also nearby; the former has branches of Waitrose and Tesco, while the latter was including in The Times’s list of the ’10 Best Places in the UK to Live for Families’.

As far as pubs are concerned, The Station in Framlingham and The Sweffling White Horse are local favourites. Superb seasonal food is served at an enviable range of establishments, all within striking distance, including The Suffolk in Aldeburgh, Pump Street Bakery and the Butley Orford Oysterage in Orford, and The Greyhound Inn in Pettistree. There is also an embarrassment of wonderful food suppliers including Creasey’s Butchers and Emmett’s Deli, renowned for its delicious cheeses and hams, in nearby Peasenhall.

The stunning Suffolk coastline with vast tracts of reedbeds, heath and beach, is around 20 minutes away by car. Sutton Hoo, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, sits on the banks of the nearby River Deben.

Halesworth station is on the East Suffolk line, with connections to Norwich and London Liverpool Street. Regular buses connect to other Suffolk towns such as Beccles, Southwold, Lowestoft and to Norwich.

Council Tax Band: D

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Inigo has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.