The Street, Bawdsey, Suffolk

Belying its unaltered traditional street façade, this four-bedroom house is composed of creative, versatile interiors akin to industrial loft living. Open-plan spaces have been designed with the everyday in mind, merging seamlessly into a bucolic garden at the rear.

The house is in the heart of Bawdsey, a secluded coastal village set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Deben Peninsula. It has a sundry of handy outbuildings, a greenhouse and off-street parking for several cars. For transport into the capital, Woodbridge Station, 10 miles north-west, runs trains to London Liverpool Street in around an hour and 40 minutes.

The Tour

With evidence of its previous life as a post office, the frontage of the house is composed of red pantiles sitting atop white brick and rendered walls skirted by a blackened plinth.

The primary entrance – a door of obscure glass adjacent to a large glazed panel -  sits to the side and opens directly to the principal living space. Modified and executed with imaginative sensitivity, the house is now made up of perfectly judged and fluid places, with distinct areas to sit, dine, cook, create and sleep.

Throughout, materials and finishes have been chosen for robustness and honesty: ceiling joists remain exposed, painted concrete screed floors run underfoot and service trunking is left unconcealed. Conceived not only as a home but as a studio space for the current owner, an artist, echoes of the house’s roots merge boldly with these contemporary installations.

The kitchen and dining areas provide a generous place to congregate. An uplifting space, filled with natural light care of the long central roof light hovering overhead, it is perfectly designed for the practicalities of everyday life, with runs of stainless steel worktops, shelves and units that provide ample working space. Glass doors look out onto the lush garden and open to a large dining terrace, a lovely spot for outside dining during the warmer months.

Adjacent and also with direct garden access is the main sitting area, warmed by an Esse wood-burning stove. To the front is a further versatile space; currently used as a space for painting and making, it would also work well as a place to relax or for home-working.

The main bedroom is also on this level and has a smart en suite wetroom. Dual aspect, this retreat lies in a quiet corner and has a markedly different atmosphere with darker, more restful tones and materials.

Three further bedrooms sit on the first floor. Each is characterful, with varying far-reaching views over the village or towards the grassy banks stretching towards the coast. There is a family bathroom alongside.

Outdoor Space 

The comely garden is a wonderful sanctuary peppered with broad-leafed trees, including a majestic mulberry. There is abundant perennial planting and a plethora of raised beds for growing vegetables and herbs.

A maze of ramps winds through banks of bay hedging, colourful flowering borders, chock full of spilling lavender and daisies, and avenues of long swaying grasses. A large concrete deck opens from the kitchen/dining area, affording a beautiful spot for summer barbecues and gatherings. The garden is also home to two sheds, perfect for storing tools and outdoor furniture and a greenhouse for pottering and cultivating.

Abutting the High Street is a shingled forecourt with off-street parking and a garage, currently used for storage.

The Area

Bawdsey is a quiet and secluded village, 10 miles from the popular Suffolk market town of Woodbridge. The main street leads through the village towards the quay overlooking the mouth of the River Deben. This stretch of coast is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with a rich history and a network of inland and coastal paths, which wind amongst the many estuaries and waterways that define the landscape.

Woodbridge is a 20-minute drive away and has a supermarket, independent shops, and various restaurants, pubs and cafés including the renowned Unruly Pig. The town hosts a bustling farmers market on the second Saturday of every month.

The Anglo-Saxon burial site at Sutton Hoo is also just around the corner. The attractive town of Orford, a 20-minute drive away, attracts visitors for its twice-daily drops of fresh lobster and crabs, its renowned oysterage and smokehouse and the excellent Pump Street Bakery.

The house is a 40-minute drive to Suffolk’s county town of Ipswich, with its theatre, galleries and museums. It has plenty of shops and terrific restaurants. Butterworth and Son and Applaud Coffee are great spots for coffee.

Snape Maltings is less than a 30-minute drive; a mix of malthouses and granaries dating from the mid-19th century, several exhibitions occur here throughout the year. It also hosts Aldeburgh Festival, a 24-day event celebrating music & the arts, opera, comedy and film.

Bawdsey has a primary school, with several others in the neighbouring villages. The wider area has several highly regarded secondary schools including Woodbridge and Framlingham College, plus outstanding state schools Thomas Mills and Farlingaye.

There is a train station at Woodbridge that runs services into London Liverpool Street with a journey time of around an hour and 40 minutes. Further up the Suffolk coast are the popular seaside towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold, both easily reached by car.

Council Tax Band: C