Behind a pair of oak gates, a gravel drive bordered by mature willow trees sweeps to the front of the house. A paved path runs to the house’s main entrance, which opens to the dining room created as part of an extension completed in 2017. Here, locally-produced pantiles run underfoot laid in an offset pattern and exposed tie-beams span overhead. A wonderful sense of space is created by the expansive bifold doors that frame the wildflower meadow beyond. To the right, glazed sliding doors open to a study with casement windows on three sides, where built-in bookshelves make space for a personal library. A long window seat is positioned to provide a woodland backdrop.
At the other side of the dining room is the kitchen, composed of oak cabinetry with granite worksurfaces, a five-ring gas hob, a double oven and a deep ceramic sink. A four-door Everhot range sits in an alcove framed by neat cream tiles. Opposite, a kitchen island is perfect for prepping a feast. A handy utility room at the rear has a door to the garden, making it well-placed for kicking off muddy boots and coats. Next door is a WC and shower room.
At the front of the plan, within the Georgian part of the house, are a series of reception rooms. A door from the kitchen opens to the living room, where a large six-over-six sash window with embrasure shutters overlooks a tulip tree on the front lawn. The walls are washed in ‘Aquamarine’ by Little Greene, and rounded alcoves sit on either side of a wood-burning stove from Jøtul.
To the left is the drawing room. Light pours through a sash window, the panes of the original glazed front door and its petal fanlight. A second wood-burning stove sits at the end of the room, imbuing the space with a wonderful warmth during the colder months.
At the rear is another reception room with exposed oak lamb’s tongue beams overhead and a fireplace with an impressive lintel branded with historic carpentry marks. The room would make a lovely formal dining room, a snug or a music room. From here, a staircase rises to the first floor.
Arranged around the first-floor landing are four double bedrooms and two family bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms are at the front of the plan, connected by a central dressing room. All have large sash windows that overlook the front lawn and a thick wool carpet underfoot. The other bedrooms are to the rear of the plan, with oak beams and casement windows overlooking wildflower meadows and the rolling hills of the Suffolk and Norfolk countryside. The exposed timber frame is visible in the bathrooms too, both of which are fitted with roll-top bathtubs.
Beyond the main plan are a series of outbuildings arranged around a central courtyard, including an oak-framed barn that has been converted into an annexe by the current owners. Its exterior is clad in striking black weatherboarding and mottled pantiles, while inside a soft colour palette sits alongside the warm tones of weathered oak. Winter flowering honeysuckle and star jasmine climb the walls of the barn on either side of the annexe’s entrance alongside well-established apricot and cherry trees. On the ground floor, there is a double-height reception room and a kitchen composed of pine cabinetry, a Belfast sink and a John Lewis ceramic range. Expansive glazing and roof lights allow light to flood the room. The annexe has a double bedroom and a bathroom on the ground floor and a mezzanine level above that provides further accommodation.
The Great Outdoors
The house is surrounded by grounds that extend to approximately three acres. Lawns at the front and the rear of the house are surrounded by mature trees including ash, lime leaf, oak, and heritage fruit trees, as well as a tulip tree with leaves that turn butter-yellow every autumn.
A trellis enveloped in fragrant honeysuckle and scented roses leads to a vegetable garden to the west of the house. Here, raised beds are suited to growing a rotating crop, and there are established plantings of rosemary, sage and bushes of berries, perfect for nipping out to get something to add to a spring meal.
Beyond the rear garden, an acre and a half has been carefully restored to a flowering hay meadow by the current owners using traditional agricultural methods and native varieties. The meadow is home to over 100 plant species and is awash with a show of colours each year; yellow cowslips are followed by green-winged orchid and red clover that fade into daisies, ladies’ bedstraw, purple knapweed and scabious. The gentle approach to land management encourages biodiversity; goldfinches, barn owls, and kestrels visit regularly, and butterflies and moths flutter past. In one corner of the meadow, an orchard is planted with Suffolk heritage varieties of apples, pears, quince, medlars and plums.
To the east of the house, a path meanders through a woodland of native trees including oak, hornbeam, crab apple and silver birch. To the west, a pond is teeming with water lilies, sedges and meadowsweet.
A series of outbuildings are situated behind the house, including the barn annexe, a greenhouse, a workshop, a wood store and a wine store as well as a carport with space for two cars.
Out and About
A small village just half a mile south of the peaceful and slow-running River Waveney, Hoxne has all the rural delights of the Suffolk countryside. It has a village shop for daily provisions, a handy post office, a primary school, and a 16th-century coachhouse pub, The Swan Inn, with a grand fireplace, a garden and a vegetarian menu.
Suffolk’s pleasant pastures offer many opportunities for country walks, with the lush Brakey Wood and the River Dove just minutes away on foot. Saxon and Norman churches are dotted around the area, where you’ll find the breathtaking 12th-century Wymondham Abbey, which is still in service to this day. Suffolk’s thriving network of conservation areas has preserved many village greens, ancient woodlands and remarkable historic buildings.
The stunning Suffolk coastline, with vast tracts of reedbeds, heath and beach, is under an hour’s drive from the house. This part of the world offers charming beaches such as Covehithe and the sandy stretches at Southwold and Walberswick. There are also areas of outstanding natural beauty nearby, with nature reserves at Minsmere, Redgrave and Lopham Fenns. Likewise, Sutton Hoo, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, is close too.
Nearby Eye is a beautiful market town, with an Italianate town hall. The nearest larger settlement is Diss, known for its pastel palette houses, pantile roofs, and 18th-century cottages. The beloved nature writer Roger Deakin lived at Walnut Tree Farm in nearby Mellis, and Richard Mabey, eminent broadcaster and foraging advocate, also put down roots in the area. There are a range of amenities including delis, tea houses, and several antique shops.
The Crown Inn, just outside of Diss, has been voted ‘Norfolk Pub of the Year’ several times and is well worth a visit. A traditional market is held every Friday for a diverse spread of groceries with a lively atmosphere.
John Betjeman famously declared to Harold Wilson’s wife how it would be “bliss, to go with you by train to Diss”. True, Diss is a well-connected station, with two or three trains an hour to Norwich, around a 20-minute journey, or twice hourly to Ipswich, a 25-minute journey. Rail services to London Liverpool Street have a journey time of around 90 minutes.
House Council Tax Band: F
Annexe Council Tax Band: A
Related Stories
