The Street, Billingford, Dereham, Norfolk, NR20

Impressive Grade II listed Georgian country house in charming gardens and grounds

Description

On the edge of the village, with views over water meadows and its own gardens and land, Billingford Hall is an impressive Grade II listed Georgian family home. With a handsome 5 bay facade with pedimented door, and large sash windows typical of the period. Further to the principal house there is a charming detached holiday cottage/annexe, a great range of outbuildings and delightful gardens and wider land amounting to about 10.7 acres.

The house has many of the attributes you would expect of a family home. From classically proportioned rooms over the three floors, an abundance of bedrooms, the kitchen dining area making the perfect family hub, and points at which you can meander out to the gardens and grounds.
As is usual for a house if this scale, there is a formal and informal entrance.

A formal, double height entrance hall sets the tone and makes for a grand arrival. This leads on to a fine study/pool room, a space that evolves with family life. A wonderful sitting room of 8.5m by 5.6m, with open fireplace and bay window, is a comfortable and spacious room with bespoke shelving. A particularly elegant drawing room, with open fireplace and French doors out to a south-west facing terrace, provides a more formal space to enjoy. The dining room is part open plan to the kitchen which is well-fitted, with four oven Everhot, space for a breakfast table, and conveniently next to the utility room. Further functionality is provided by a spacious boot room, essential for rural living, with a south facing loggia providing a lovely seating area.

The seven bedrooms are located on the first and second floor and all are double rooms. The fine principal bedroom is dual aspect, and is particularly spacious with fitted wardrobes, a dressing room and en-suite bathroom. There is a guest bedroom with adjoining bathroom and a further three bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor. All bedrooms have views of the gardens and countryside. The converted second floor has a sitting room, large bathroom, bedroom and games room/bedroom seven, the perfect floor for older children or perhaps a guest suite.

The Cottage
To the south-east of the main house is a charming two bedroom cottage, in excellent order, comprising an open plan ground floor kitchen/breakfast/sitting area with two bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor. The cottage enjoys its own enclosed partly walled garden to the south, and provides income potential for use as a holiday let, or as ancillary accommodation to the main house.

Outbuildings
Attached to the south of the house is a wing of traditional outbuildings, of charming mellow red brick under a pantile roof. The buildings comprise stabling, with original Georgian stalls, a workshop of 8m x 5.2m, with fireplace, which has tremendous scope, studio and garage. A further garage is detached, and houses the plant room for the ground source heat pump.

To the south of the walled garden is a substantial outbuilding, providing 5 loose boxes, a tack room and a store room. This faces south with direct access to the paddocks.

Within the grounds of Billingford Hall is a Listed ice house, complete with crinkle crankle entrance.

The gardens and grounds of Billingford Hall are a delight. Enjoying a predominantly south to west facing orientation of formal and informal areas, there is a brilliant privacy and yet openness, with a great feeling of space.

To the west of the house and outbuildings are the formal lawns, separating the house from the paddocks. There is a naturally walled garden of yew hedging and pleached lime with a central tiled pergola, with an avenue of ornamental pear leading away from the terrace to the west. A gate at the end of the avenue leads to an area of woodland, with walkways under planted with spring bulbs leading around the boundary. The western wall of the outbuilding is trained with wisteria, and a shingle pathway leads to the south and the orchard.

A delightful brick and flint walled garden is mainly laid to lawn, with well stocked herbaceous borders, fruit cage, kitchen garden and a restored south facing Victorian green house on a brick plinth. This area would lend itself for anyone looking to install a swimming pool and/or tennis court. There are terraces to the west of the house, accessed from the drawing room and the studio, and to the south of the house, providing a delightful outside dining area.

The paddocks are to the south and south west, and are all post and railed with field shelters and water troughs and with a good grass structure. A substantial dutch barn is at one end of the land, providing useful storage and which could be utilised in many ways,

Location

Billingford is set in an attractive area of unspoilt Norfolk countryside. The village is well placed for access to Norwich and the coastline and has a network of bridleways/footpaths in the surrounding countryside. The next door village of North Elmham has a village shop, doctors surgery, two public houses and tennis club, with the the award winning Brisley Bell close by. The Georgian town of Holt (12 miles) is famous for its award winning restaurants, boutique shopping, delicatessens and Gresham’s public school. The town also provides a bakery, greengroceries, and banking facilities. Further education is available at Beeston Hall near Sheringham. The market towns of Fakenham and Dereham are equidistant to the South and North and offer an extensive range of shopping alongside banking, post offices, butchers, supermarkets, cinemas and primary and secondary education.
The North Norfolk coast (16 miles) an area of outstanding natural beauty is deservedly popular with sailing enthusiasts and ornithologists, with two of the country's finest beaches at Holkham and Wells. The area hosts a plethora of renowned restaurants including Michelin starred, and excellent gastro pubs, and links golf courses at Brancaster, Sheringham and Cromer. Further sailing and touring can be found on the Broads.
The cathedral city of Norwich (15 miles) has thriving retail, cultural, and education sectors with private day schools and University. There are mainline rail services to Kings Cross and London Liverpool Street from Norwich and Kings Lynn respectively.

Square Footage: 6,142 sq ft


Acreage: 10.47 Acres

Directions

Leave Norwich on the A1067 to Fakenham. Having passed through Lenwade and Bawdeswell Garden centre, take the 2nd left turning signposted King’s Lynn and Billingford (B1145). Follow this road and after entering Billingford, continue through the village, and when beginning to leave the village, with an open field on the right, Billingford Hall is the last house on the left, onto a gravelled drive and with wrought iron park railings to the front. The postcode for the property is NR20 4RF.

Additional Info

Services
Mains water, electricity and drainage. Heating provided by a ground source heat pump with a back up oil boiler.

Local Authority
Breckland District Council
Council Tax Band H

Fixtures and Fittings
All fixtures and fittings including fitted carpets and curtains are specifically excluded from the sale, but may be available in addition, subject to separate negotiation.

Viewings
Strictly by appointment with Savills. If there is any point which is of particular importance to you, we invite you to discuss this with us, especially before you travel to view the property.

NB: Floor plans prepared by ehouse are for guidance only. Savills do not accept any responsibility for their accuracy.

Important Notice
Savills, their clients and any joint agents give notice that:

1.They are not authorised to make or give any representations or warranties in relation to the property either here or elsewhere, either on their own behalf or on behalf of their client or otherwise. They assume no responsibility for any statement that may be made in these particulars. These particulars do not form part of any offer or contract and must not be relied upon as statements or representations of fact.

2.Any areas, measurements or distances are approximate. The text, photographs and plans are for guidance only and are not necessarily comprehensive. It should not be assumed that the property has all necessary planning, building regulation or other consents and Savills have not tested any services, equipment or facilities. Purchasers must satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise.