An exceptional expansive home where town meets country.
Nestled on the edge of the hugely popular market town of Reepham, at the end of a quiet loke, the Grade II listed Rookery Barn defines an edge-of-town home.
The juxtaposition of town and country is brilliantly displayed and balanced with an orientation to take in the views of the gardens and open countryside beyond, with privacy and a peacefulness hard to find in town locations, yet all the convenience of a well-served town within a short walk. It is a wonderful lifestyle opportunity.
The home was the subject of a complete internal redesign, a collaboration of ideas between the current custodians and their architect, to great effect. To a large extent it has re-written the rule book of how a space within a barn can be utilised, with bold decisions creating an individuality yet in harmony with the traditional structure.
A major triumph of the design is the first floor living, and is difficult to do justice in text. An exceptional open plan, seamless expanse of space to absorb life, flooded with light from large floor to ceiling windows, and with the added impact of full height 17th Century vaulted ceilings. Throughout the space is a pleasing mix of sharp contemporary lines contrasting with the red brick and tie oak beams.
The sleek lines of the contemporary kitchen units are cleverly designed, with a large island unit and the backdrop of a second higher unit hiding the more functional sink and working area from the living space. Although entirely open, the location of the beams and carefully positioned ERCO architectural lighting system serve to 'divide' the space into 'rooms' with a defined dining area, and a living area at the very end. Glass flooring, abutting vertical slatted oak, provides a further contemporary edge to the room and provides a visual link to the ground floor. A useful first floor WC provides practicality.
Two staircases, with a subtle nod to the overall design being in the form of a traditional staircase and a contemporary version with recessed handrail with LED lighting, link to further living space and the bedrooms on the ground floor.
The garden room is the sort of space that evolves with life, currently used as a library and TV room, with plenty of glazing providing arguably the best room to enjoy the rural surroundings. The functional utility is essential given the scale of the house, with an array of storage rooms and cupboards in built on the ground floor.
The studio/office wing is a major asset, spacious enough to be adaptable for all sorts of uses with its own external access, and the ideal hybrid home working space with the ability to be separate from the rest of the house.
The bedrooms have a pleasingly conventional layout, differing from the majority of barns of this scale which were often converted with bedrooms split over two floors. All linked by a central hallway, the six bedrooms all have an individuality. The principal bedroom is particularly spacious room, with walk-in wardrobe and en suite bath/shower room, and a deep window seat with views over the gardens and meadows beyond.
Two of the bedrooms were beneficiaries of the brief of mixing old with new, both with vaulted ceilings, exposing beams, glazed doors out to the courtyard, and the original arched internal openings now filled with bespoke modern vertical oak cladding, merging with the mellow red brick around it. The three remaining bedrooms open to the south elevation, again with plenty of natural light with floor-to-ceiling glazing.
Garden and grounds
Approached from the town within minutes, winding through a picturesque street of pretty period cottages and houses, a quiet loke ends with the entrance to Rookery Barn. With an expanse of gravelled driveway and car stand, there is plenty of private parking.
The approach down the loke starts to provide an insight into the joyous position of the house, leaving the town behind you and arriving to open field views. On entering the gardens, the setting is revealed with swathes of lawn wrapping around the house sweeping up to an open view boundary. This has been deliberately maintained to celebrate the views of the neighbouring meadows from the house and gardens. Where gardens blend seamlessly with the surrounding Norfolk countryside.
A superb ancient oak tree breaks up the landscape, with further fine mature trees such as flowering cherry, silver birch and fir within a garden that is easy to manage despite the scale, with the majority laid to expansive lawn. Stretching the length of the barn is a decked terrace, enjoying a southerly aspect and of composite boards that are easy to manage. Providing the perfect area for outside dining and entertaining, the terrace is a fabulous space to enjoy, accessed from many points from the barn, with a feature ornamental pond filled with Koi.
The courtyard garden to the north of the barn has modern limestone steps between gravel leading to the main entrance of the barn, and is elegantly landscaped with yew and ornamental fig trees that will in time create a entrance of grandeur.
The car port is to the east of the barn, open on three sides for covered parking, with an adjoining workshop/store clad in oak. Behind this building is a productive kitchen garden, complete with fruit cages.
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If I could define a true edge of town house, Rookery Barn would be it. There is the perfect blend of a rural lifestyle with privacy and countryside views, yet with the town just behind with a coffee shop, the delicatessen and pub all within a two minute walk.
Ben RivettProperty agent