Faulkbourne

A Remarkable Early Victorian Country House, which is not listed, set back in its Stunning Part-Walled Grounds with Excellent Leisure Facilities. In All 2.5 Acres

What We Say at The Zoe Napier Group

This is a stunning ‘statement’ country house of early Victorian architecture at its best. The house is comfortably atmospheric with a contemporary twist. The icing on the cake is that the property is not listed resulting in greater opportunities to extend and remodel the property stp, together with the potential scope of permitted development within the grounds. Our clients have sympathetically and continually maintained the property to enjoy the living arrangements in comfort.

What the Owners Say

Over the past 25 years, we have had so much fun entertaining, utilising the raised terrace to stage bands for outdoor parties by the poolside and to provide spaces such as the cinema room to watch sporting occasions and movies. Our great memories include that of our daughter’s wedding day where the magnificent sweeping staircase played centre-stage for the bridal photography. The part-walled quintessentially English grounds were also simply perfect for marquees for various events. We are also lucky to have all-round wonderful views.

History & Background

A remarkable six double-bedroom country house dating back to circa 1840 offering exquisite architecture from the early Victorian era paying note to the eleven tall, twisted chimney stacks and the wonderful central vestibule with original bench seating. Jonathan Bullock, the once High Sheriff of Essex, originally built the property for his son Walter Trevor Bullock who was the rector of Faulkbourne. It is reported that the house was never used as a Rectory since the Crimean War disrupted plans. Later during WWII, the Canadian Military requisitioned the house but thankfully the property and its many treasured characteristics were not damaged allowing its wonderful traditional interior to remain largely intact today. Since the late 20^th Century our clients have sympathetically restored the house which features classic high ceilings, many fireplaces (given that there are eleven chimneys), and the most elegant sweeping staircase with beautifully carved newel posts. Construction work and alterations were conducted by the reputable firm Bakers of Danbury. The finishes are mainly Farrow & Ball with Fired Earth stone tiling in some areas and the kitchen and bathrooms were handmade by Keith Gray & Co.

Outside are several excellent outbuildings, ranging from the substantial brick garage building to the superb cinema room and gym, and there is also a large workshop/barn. Broadband is superfast with County Broadband.

Setting & Location

The house sits centrally in its part-walled grounds extending to 2.5 acres. The extensive frontage has been carefully landscaped to soften the initial vista with a curved carriage-style driveway interspersed with large well-stocked beds, a spacious croquet lawn, and a further area where a tennis court was once planned. The entrances have attractive gates that abut the lane that leads down to the farmhouse beyond, a cottage and barn conversion. It is from here that a public footpath runs nearby over the river Brain and immediately out to the country walks and tracks for joggers, and yet Witham mainline station is just 1.5 miles from the property (a 45-minute journey for London’s Liverpool Street).

The Old Rectory lies in a semi-rural setting south of Faulkbourne village and next door to (and originally part of) the historic Faulkbourne Hall Estate where much of the surrounding countryside is owned and kept by the estate. Faulkbourne is a small, picturesque village within the district of Braintree, which is close to White Notley and Terling – another village steeped in history. Witham offers the convenience and choice of supermarkets and Chelmsford City is just 10 miles away which offers excellent grammar and high school education as well as private educational facilities such as New Hall School. Felsted School is also just 11.7 miles away.

Ground Floor Accommodation

The beautiful entrance vestibule with side benches and carved detail provides the initial welcome through to the heavy oak main entrance door which immediately opens into the impressive reception hall. This features classic high ceilings and the magnificent galleried staircase with its wide sweeping stairs and French polished heavy oak twisted balustrades with carved newel posts. The hall provides a glimpse of the incredible accommodation to follow, with notable high ceilings throughout and large windows, many with their original window shutters. Several rooms are dual aspect and most enjoy attractive fireplaces (some are working fireplaces), served by the eleven tall, twisted chimneys.

The interior was professionally designed by Raspberry Interiors who have achieved the combination of timeless classics and heritage detail with a sympathetic, modern contemporary twist. The beautifully handcrafted Orangery was designed to a Salisbury style, allowing the family to migrate from the Drawing Room into this vast space from which to access the tiered terraces, overlook the garden, and enjoy poolside views.

Further rooms include the front TV/sitting room with a natural stone fireplace and a separate dining room that accommodates fourteen comfortably, or more on special occasions. The dining table converts to a snooker table and can remain, doubling this up as a games room. There is also an office/library and an excellent kitchen/breakfast room with a traditional AGA, bespoke solid wood cabinetry, an island with chopping board set into the granite tops, and plenty of space for a farmhouse-style table, where double doors lead onto the private Italian-style courtyard. There are numerous service rooms generously proportionate to this size of house as well as a cellar which includes a French-style wine cave plus a separate store area.

First Floor Accommodation

The Galleried Landing is as impressive on the first floor as it is from the hallway with lovely views over farmland to the southwest which floods natural light into this area. The house has been adapted from its original eight bedrooms to six bedrooms, allowing the present owners to create a wonderful Junior Suite for the master bedroom, which enjoys a sitting room area in the bedroom with a heavy natural stone fireplace, dressing room, and luxurious granite bathroom with an oversized bath and huge wet room shower. The remaining five bedrooms are served by two bath/shower rooms, one featuring a ‘ball & claw’ bath. The comms room also provides stair access to an impressive attic area. There is also the potential to create top/second-floor accommodation stp, if required.

The Grounds

The house is set well back from the road and our clients have carefully softened its original austere appearance with a beautiful, snaked driveway interspersed with well-stocked beds, lawn areas, and specimen trees. The large, detached garage buildings provide good storage for classic cars and sports equipment. This building is attached to the Cinema Room and to a separate gym. Access leads around to the rear walled gardens which feature a separate part stone-walled kitchen garden with a large workshop/storage barn, Victorian-style greenhouse, and beds containing a variety of soft fruits and specimen trees such as a Morello Cherry, Nectarine, Loganberry, Fig, and Apple trees.

To one side, off the kitchen, is the Italian-style courtyard – a quiet morning breakfast terrace. The rear garden is also beautifully landscaped, enhanced by being framed by the walled boundaries. The upper terraces, with a sunken Hot Tub, lead down to the poolside where there is a tiled heated pool with an automatic safety cover. The pool is heated by an air heat exchanger and beside the pump room is a changing room and shower. A former pond has more recently been filled (for child safety) and instead has become a children's woodland area with bark surfaces and fun pathways. Specimen trees include a rare Gingko Tree and a Grandiflora Magnolia.

At night, the grounds look divinely lit up by extensive solar and outside light features.

Agents Notes

• Our client has completed a comprehensive property questionnaire to provide potential buyers with more detailed information about this property. Please request this from the agent.
• The workshop barn in the Kitchen Garden is noted to have a corrugated composite roof that contains asbestos.
• The planned Norwich to Tilbury National Grid HLO route is proposed to run east/west to the North of Faulkbourne (between Faulkbourne & White Notley). This is not expected to affect or be near this property apart from any possible localised disruption during work. An interactive map can be viewed on the National Grid website for peace of mind.

Services

• Mains Water
• Mains Electricity
• Oil heating.
• Modern Klargester Drainage

 PLEASE CALL FOR A FULL BROCHURE

 

EPC rating: F. Tenure: Freehold,