Location
A privately positioned farmhouse, with substantial barns, meadows and woodland amounting to about 6 acres.
Laurel Farm is an increasingly rare package of a farmhouse that retains ownership of the original farm barns, which have the benefit of planning consent for conversion. The farmhouse and barns are located on the edge of the North Norfolk village of Little Barningham, set in about 5.88 acres of gardens, meadow and woodland with wonderful privacy and peace.
The House
The farmhouse is a believed to be late Victorian, with later additions and alterations to create a substantial family home of almost 3000 square feet. The house is well arranged, with a conventional layout in the original part of the house, with a significant link being added to incorporate part of the outbuildings into the accommodation.
An initial entrance hall provides lots of space of country kit, and is very much the functional end of the house leading to a pantry, utility, WC and through to a boot room. A farmhouse kitchen/breakfast room, with Aga, is a great place to congregate, with space to spread out in with a sitting room and living room, both with fireplaces, and a substantial reception room, again with fireplace, that could be used in many ways.
Stairs up to a central landing lead to four double bedrooms, including the principal bedroom with en suite shower room, and a further family bathroom. All rooms over both floors enjoy views across the gardens meadows and woodland beyond.
Barns
Across a courtyard from the house is traditional Norfolk barn, of attractive red brick under a pantile roof, much of which is one substantial open room of about 16m x 10m, with mezzanine level and skylights. This is a brilliant space that could be utilised in many ways and has the benefit of planning consent for conversion to a separate dwelling. A wing leads away from the main barn, eventually linking back to the house, with garden store, workshop, and other storage rooms. Part of the wing has the benefit of a planning consent to be converted into an annexe to the main house, which incorporates part of the boot room area of the house. There is a fantastic flexibility to the property as a whole.
Gardens, grounds and land
Laurel Farm has two entrances. The main entrance sweeps into a courtyard adjoining the barns and farmhouse, with parking for many cars and set behind a low brick wall. A second, and lesser used, entrance is via a five bar field gate on brick pillars providing access to the meadows and house.
The gardens of the farmhouse are mainly to the east and south, with a recently landscaped area to the south of box topiary, lavender, box hedging and gravelled areas opening out to an expanse of lawn. A delightful sunken garden presents a cooler place to enjoy, with further lawns stretching away to a Ha-Ha.
The meadows, which are bordered by stock proof fencing, offer established grazing or alternatively could become wildflower meadows or similar, they are a brilliant open space. A field gate separates the meadow from the broad lead woodland, a thriving wildlife area which has been left wild.
View payable Stamp Duty for this property
What struck me most about this property is the easy wins to increase value, small investments will make a huge difference to the aesthetic.
Ben RivettProperty agent