9 bedroom detached house

A beautifully refurbished and Quintessentially English Grade II Listed Victorian Rectory with an attached Cottage, Separate Coach House, and in all 8.4 Acres

What We Say at The Zoe Napier Group

This romantic and aspirational quality makes a Rectory unlikely to ever fall out of fashion. Plus, there is only ever one Rectory in a village which guarantees a status that other houses don’t have. Buying a Rectory is one of the safest bets you can make in the housing market. Priced correctly, they are recession-proof properties. This former Rectory is no exception and carries many surprising extras that can be included in the sale.

What The Owner Says

Over the past four years, this beautiful home has been my full-time project to reinstate the property - not just to its former glory but to futureproof the house with all modern (2020+) electrics, plumbing, air conditioning, and in addition to creating a fun and entertaining place to live. I love parties and there is no shortage of inside and outside spaces to enjoy. One of my favourites is the Converted Victorian Glasshouse with tropical planting.

History & Background

A beautifully refurbished and Quintessentially English Victorian Rectory with an attached Cottage, Separate Coach House, and in all 8.4 Acres. The property is Grade II listed and set beyond a beautiful 275m tree-lined private entrance avenue, whilst also steeped in history, dating back to the mid-19th Century. As with many former rectories these properties were originally designed to welcome and accommodate visiting parishioners, hence why most rectories have generous-sized rooms for entertaining with the classical features of high ceilings, large bright windows with window shutters, and an impressive reception hall. The history of this property is further noted to have been lived in by the author Middleton Murry which provided the inspiration for many of his novels, at which time DH Lawrence also regularly visited the house.

Within the past four years, the property, including the cottage, coach house, and outbuildings has undergone an extensive refurbishment programme creating a futureproof family home, whilst sympathetically retaining all the important historical and classical features of its period. Examples include extensive air conditioning throughout all principal areas and outbuildings, a brand new (2020 + services) plant room with pressurized water and efficient heating systems, electrical certifications and there is even a full-size generator housed to automatically power the whole premises in the event of a power cut. Any prospective buyer will be impressed with the thought and infrastructure before the interior design was created. As mentioned, the house and all within the grounds have been created with entertaining in mind. These include a range of areas from the magnificent Billiard Room with a bar, to the garden bar with decking alongside a garden kitchen with a Big Green Egg to the wonderfully restored Victorian Glasshouse with tropical plants, a wood burning stove, air conditioning, and a tranquil waterfall with fishpond. There is also a comprehensive security system with 16 CCTV cameras.

Setting & Location

Location, location, location. Former Rectories command an important location for a village and almost all enjoy being located near a church. This property benefits from being on the edge of the village, largely surrounded by countryside, and opposite is an unmade track that leads up to the quaintest Norfolk St Ethelbert’s church which uses a piece of grassland for parking.

The property later renamed Larling House affords a stunning 275m private tree-lined avenue entrance with automated gates and driveways forking off to the main house and separately to The Coach House where there is substantial garaging (with air conditioning/heat converters) and automated roller doors to house Classic or performance cars. The established grounds with a variety of mature trees, a walled garden, and lawns surround the house, and beyond the boundaries is mainly farmland.

Larling is a small farming village on the Suffolk/Norfolk border where there is a pub owned by one of the local landowners. Off-road access can be gained to the pub via tracks and an underpass (with the permission of the landowner). By road, the village is one mile away. East Harling, the nearest neighbouring village is just 2.5 miles from the property, offering all the main amenities ranging from a GP surgery and chemist, a primary school (Ofsted Good), a post office, Dental surgery, a traditional butcher, a bakery, fire station, two pubs, a chinese takeaway and a general store (Co-Op).

The property is easily accessible (0.75 of a mile) from the A11 (Norwich to Cambridge) dual carriageway with rail line stations as near as East Harling Station (for Stansted Airport) and there are stations at Attleborough 7.7 miles and Diss 13 miles with journey times around 90 minutes for London’s Liverpool Street. Norwich lies 22 miles to the northeast and Newmarket lies approximately 25 miles to the southwest.

Ground Floor Accommodation

The property has undergone extensive refurbishment whilst sympathetically retaining the classical features of a former rectory merging the old and new. Buyers will fall in love with the period details like the many fireplaces, window shutters, high ceilings and cornicing but don't have to compromise on modern-day essentials like contemporary bathrooms where there are no fewer than four luxurious and individual en-suite rooms, as well as the beautifully refurbished Billiard table which has been in situ since 1926 complemented by a great drinks bar and a cloakroom restored to a fun pub like theme. There is even a wine cellar and two staircases that reach the first floor. The principal room offers the classic elegance expected with beautiful open fires, immense natural light, and areas of generous proportion from which to entertain. Beyond the drawing room is a garden room for quiet reading overlooking the gardens. The reception hall is a statement feature for the house with its vast space and elegant sweeping staircase. Beyond the Kitchen with a Zip Hydrotap is a second caterer's kitchen and scullery with additional service rooms and access to the outside courtyard, store, and the impressive plant (boiler & services) room.

First Floor Accommodation

The spacious part galleried landing has the wonderful architectural feature of a glass dome within the roof structure. This allows natural light to flood into the landing and further down into the reception hall. There are five good double bedrooms on the first floor, each individually interior designed and finished in Farrow & Ball hues complemented further with four luxury en-suite bedrooms where the bath/shower rooms offer a range of contemporary to modern vintage. These include the main en-suite with a hi-tech Bluetooth mirror to the featured Ball & Claw bath in the traditional suite. The bathrooms benefit from having underfloor heating and each has dual access to the landing to not disturb the original look of the many internal landing doors. Bedroom five is currently used as a dressing room.

Attached Cottage

The attached cottage can be reached from the service areas of the main house. The cottage offers refurbished and most comfortable accommodation with one main first-floor bedroom accompanied by a bathroom and on the ground floor is a spacious kitchen/dining & lounge area with a further second bedroom which has an ensuite wash room/w.c. To the rear running the full width of the cottage is a garden room with windows overlooking the walled garden. This room is currently used as a gym with air conditioning and doors out that lead over to the steam room and sauna.

Detached Coach House

The Coach House is on a separate title deed. The building was originally used to accommodate the horses and carriages to the main house with a hay loft above. Some of the character remains with the rear wing still being a pair of stables. Now beautifully refurbished, and with air conditioning, The Coach House has two first floor bedrooms and a bathroom. On the ground floor is a generous kitchen/diner with Zip Hydrotap, a large sitting room wood burner, plus a dressing room with adjacent shower room. The stable wing and garaging are attached and could be converted to additional living space if required (stp). There is also a brick building behind the property used as a playroom.

Outbuildings

If you want to find garaging to park/store at least a dozen cars, then you will find a range of good modern storage barns, with automatic roller doors, air-con/heat converters to accommodate vehicles, all the machinery and plant required for the premises and further space for Golf Carts, Garden furniture and alike. There are three main modern barns and a double garage with the original runner doors. There is also a brick store and attached to the coach house is an externally accessed play/garden room and a wing containing a pair of stables. The Victorian Glasshouse is an amazing place for entertaining with Victorian style tiling, a raised fishpond with a waterfall, copious amounts of indoor tropical planting, alongside a wood burning stove, air con unit, and areas for a pizza oven with central seating for gatherings of 20 or more.

Established Grounds

The established grounds and acreage surround the house with a wide range of mature deciduous and evergreen trees which create a wonderful backdrop, screening, and naturally shaded areas. There are numerous original features including decorative wrought iron gates in differing areas. The extensive front lawns provide great space for marquees and this area has also been used for ‘the party’ parking. The formal lawns lie to the southwest side and include a croquet lawn and tennis court area. The extensive walled garden is a delight and a further area is suitable for a marquee with three gated access to the grounds. A Scandinavian-style building houses a sauna and separate steam room with a relaxing central area for loungers. Further areas include an area for a Hot tub and then there are the extensive decking areas with fixed commercial size sunshades, to seat up to 30 beneath, alongside the outdoor bar with internal and external seating, a well-kitted bar and adjacent outside is the cooking area, currently with a useful sink and a Big Green Egg with stand. Around the grounds are further areas for campfire seating – a garden that can never tire its owners from the differing and delightful facilities available.

Agents Notes

• There are two title deeds. NK281152 (Main House) & NK281153 (The Coach House)
• The Coach House is on a shorthold tenancy agreement and is currently occupied by a family member. The usual notice period would be required for vacant possession.
• Our client holds numerous test certificates and guarantees for works carried out.

Services

Mains Water

Mains Electricity

Oil Fired Heating

Private Drainage

House EPC E

Coach House EPE E

The Cottage EPC F

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