Description
Home Farm House is set in 2 acres of grounds in the small village of Suffield Common. The house has been completely renovated to create a beautiful family home. Every room has quality furnishings and fittings. There are oak beamed ceilings throughout and the flooring is either limestone flags or oak boards. The kitchen and utility have modern appliances that integrate into the traditional style, all three reception rooms have comfy sofas, the sitting room and snug have wood burning stoves, the reception hall has an ornate inglenook fire place that has been decommissioned and sealed to conserve energy usage. The property is on a seldom used lane, benefits from extensive gardens and has many characterful features; including large fireplaces, an antique bread oven, ships beams and 15th century beams, a green oak beamed loft, 18” thick walls in many rooms, original art work, contemporary and antique furniture. I have complemented these with modern lighting and bathroom fittings. The house is light, bright and breezy in summer and cosy and warm in winter. Its space and layout lend itself to family entertaining.
Travel & Distances:
Home Farm House is 17 miles North of Norwich. North Walsham is 3.5 miles, Aylsham 5 miles, The Broads 7 miles and Cromer 8 miles. The nearest supermarket is a very large Waitrose 2.5 miles away, Sainsburys and Lidl in North Walsham, Tesco, Budgens and M&S convenience in Aylsham, Morrisons and Lidl in Cromer. The property is rural therefore a car is essential to enjoy your stay. There is ample parking for at least 8 cars on the drive outside the house. The nearest train station is North Walsham on the Bittern Line or Norwich main line. Norwich airport is closest and then Stansted.
Bedroom details
Sleeps 10 (5 Bedrooms)
First floor: Bedroom 1, double bed en-suite. Bedroom 2, double bed en-suite. Bedroom 3, twin beds. Second floor: Master king size bedroom with adjoining shower/WC and a large twin bedroom with flat screen TV.
Bathroom details
First floor; bedrooms 1 & 2 have en suite shower & WC with oak basin stands and Grohe fittings, the family bathroom has a standalone bath and WC. Second floor shower room & WC also has an oak basin stand and Grohe fittings. The ground floor has a WC.
Kitchen / Diner details
A very large 11m x 4m kitchen diner, the heart of the house. Dining table and chairs for 10, 1 child’s high chair. A large island / breakfast bar with 3 stools. Guests tell me frequently it is excellently equipped with lots of utensils, cutlery, plates, glasses, pots and pans, bread maker, toasted sandwich maker etc. Large side by side fridge freezer, another under counter fridge. Dishwasher, 2 x sinks each with filtered water, large induction hob, double oven and microwave. Panasonic CD radio that you can plug your phone into.
Utility Room:
Large room with granite work surface, Franke twin sink, Bosch washing machine, tumble dryer, iron, ironing board, clothes maid, vacuum cleaner, cleaning products and implements, water softener and oil fired boiler.
Boot room:
Butler sink with hose tap, boot and coat storage, garden games, stable door to garden. Outside there is a hot and cold boot cleaning ‘shower’ to wash away mud and sand.
Cleaning / Towels / Linen etc:
Quality bath and hand towels provided per person, cotton bed linen. Hand wash, toilet tissue, a basket of logs and kindling, some candles are all provided with a couple of bottles of wine. Cleaning and laundry are serviced weekly on Friday.
Outside:
Home Farm House has wonderful aspects, although we have neighbours the house is not overlooked and is very private being set well back from the lane. It has 2 acres of grounds, 1 acre of lawns, 1 acre of paddock, a stream with a bridge and a pond. Young children should be supervised as it is up to 2 metres deep. The front lawn is a boules, hoopla or footie kick around space. In season you can dine alfresco in the courtyard where there is garden furniture, gas BBQ, swing seat, parasol and a hammock. Out of season these are not available for use. Picnic tableware, blankets, chiller bags, cushions and games are provided for your enjoyment in the garden. There is a summer / wendy house with some additional garden seating and games but this is not maintained by the house keeper and play in there should be supervised. Our gardener comes weekly on Friday to keep things tidy.
Local interest and activities:
There are excellent local pubs and restaurants. I highly recommend The Gunton Arms in the Gunton deer park. In addition there are the Erpingham Arms, Saracens Head, The Crown at Banningham, The Walpole Arms and Black Boys in Aylsham. I provide a 'recommended' list with your joining instructions. There are many walks and cycle routes from the house and many more that can be reached by car. I have comprehensive details of local attractions, activities and hostelries in the house. For example, the Weavers Way, Bure Valley walk, Peddars Way/North Norfolk Coast Path, the Paston Way (coastal), Wherryman's Way around the Broads and Barton Broad walk. Use our local OS maps to find them. A short drive or cycle ride away is the Southrepps Common Nature Reserve which comprises 12.4 hectares of woodland, it is a site of special scientific interest and conservation status. A car park and 800 metre boardwalk provides easy access and The Vernon Arms is nearby for refreshment. We are excellently placed for cyclists. Norfolk was the first county in Britain to introduce Quiet Lanes for walking and cycling. They are almost on our doorstep covering 36 miles and occupying a triangle from Cromer to Bacton and inland to North Walsham, all easily and safely accessible from the front door for cyclists of all abilities. The Quiet Lanes link with the Paston Way, Bacton Woods and the Coast Cycleway. I have cycling maps and information at the house. Broadland Cycle Hire is located in the car park at Bewilderwood, 13 miles away, where you can hire bikes, tandems, children’s cycles, baby seats and tag-alongs. There are several cycle rides starting from there and they have route maps. For steam trains the Bure Valley Railway starts at Aylsham, The ‘Poppy Line’ at Sheringham. There are many day boat hires on the Broads and several National Trust houses and gardens nearby, Blickling and Felbrigg Halls being the closest. For the younger members of your group Strikers is 6 lane 10 pin bowling alley with arcade games and a bar 3 miles away and the Victory swimming pool and gym is in North Walsham. For anglers there are many local lakes, Felmingham Mill Lakes in walking distance and Blickling lake the most spectacular. The VisitNorthNorfolk website is an excellent source of information and things to do.
Coast/Beach:
Mundesley beach is the easiest to get to, 7 miles away, a Blue Flag Award sandy beach, with lifeguard in season and easy parking. Trimingham is 6 miles. Overstrand is 7 miles away and is easily accessible by car, it is an attractive cliff-top village overlooking a sandy beach where you can buy fresh lobster and crab in season. Cromer's sandy beach and it’s pier is 8 miles, Sea Palling for water sports 15 miles, Blakeney for seal viewing 18 miles. The Broads are 7 miles away for day boats, canoes, kayaks and sailing.