Tunstead £675,000

Through the electric gates and down the sweeping drive you find this beautiful family home with four delightful bedrooms, a striking vaulted garden room, three further reception rooms, a spacious kitchen/breakfast room and a one-bedroom self-contained annexe.
The Story
Flipping eggs and bacon on the grill as friends sit chatting and enjoying breakfast around the kitchen island, the owners of Willow Lodge couldn’t be happier here.
The first people to move into the house, which is just a few minutes from the beautiful Norfolk Broads, their priority has always been having room to socialise, as well as work.
Since moving in, therefore, they have extended the Tunstead house to create an exceptionally comfortable, light-filled four-bedroom home, with a one-bedroom annexe as well, which is currently used as offices.
It’s perfect, I can work and live here – and work and home life can feel separate, said the owner.
WELCOMING FRIENDS
The couple love cooking, and so also designed an exceptionally light maple and granite kitchen. Hand-built by a local craftsman, it has space for food preparation and is ideal for morning coffee with friends, who can gather around the central island, or for lingering over the Sunday newspapers.
The kitchen is very large, it’s fantastic, he said.
The couple have enjoyed many sociable lunches on the terrace too and evening meals in the calm, contemporary dining room, where they may light the wood-burning stove in the red brick fireplace or open the double doors to their vaulted garden room and enjoy beautiful views of the mature garden.
It’s a great house for entertaining. It’s so light and airy, and there is enough space to feel comfortable, you never feel crowded however many people are here, he said.
GLORIOUS GARDEN ROOM
The couple particularly love their garden room with its west-facing picture window giving a glorious view of the garden and Norfolk’s famous open skies. With two sets of double doors to the garden, this is an especially sunny space. A wood-burning stove adds a cosy feel when skies are grey too.
It is a large room, which is gorgeous. It is absolutely stunning, he said, adding that the separate family room is lovely for quiet times too, perfect for peaceful nights in front of the television.
We do like to curl up in there, he said. Often we open the double doors and watch the wildlife, spotting owls and occasionally large red deer in the distance.
WORK SPACE
The couple added the modern annexe so they could work from home, and they have virtually created another abode. With one bedroom and a sitting room, currently used as offices, plus a bathroom and kitchen, it also makes ideal guest accommodation or an almost independent home for an older relative or grown-up child.
I love it as offices as I really enjoy being here. Like the rest of the house it is lovely and light, which makes it a nice place to work. It has its own terrace that gets a lot of sun, so I do like to sit out there when I take a break.
The annexe has its own entrance but is also reached through the utility room. It could be a two-bedroom space, or arranged as one bedroom and an airy sitting room for those perhaps working in the study in the main house, said the owners.
It’s a good amount of space, whatever you want it for, he added.
STARRY, STARRY NIGHT
One of the delights of living here is the sheer beauty of the country skies, and while there are gorgeous landscapes to be enjoyed throughout their home, there is also an unexpectedly fine view of the night sky from the master bedroom’s en-suite bathroom.
The workmanship in the bathrooms is absolutely superb and there is something fabulous about being in a really beautiful bathroom, lying back and just looking at the stars, he said.
And he added: Our bedrooms are lovely. They are wonderfully sunny and restful. It’s good having so much room.
Accommodation
Ground Floor
Stepping through the solid timber door you find yourself in the welcoming reception hall. A sweeping staircase leads you up to the galleried landing while a large arched window fills the area with natural light. From the hallway you can access the majority of the ground floor accommodation. Beautiful oak flooring leads you through to the dining room. The focal point of the room is the stunning feature fireplace and again a window to the front fills the room with light. Moving through the dining room you note the study before entering the garden room. This stunning room is a later addition that compliments the rest of the house. The vaulted ceiling heightens the sense of space and two sets of French doors open out to the elevated terrace, creating an easy flow between the inside and outside living areas. Returning to the reception hall you find the family room offering a cosy alternative to the larger garden room, along with the cloakroom which is also off the hall. The charming kitchen/breakfast room is a highlight of this home and is fitted with a solid maple kitchen with granite worktop and a central island that is ideal for entertaining and social gatherings. The dual aspect not only offers views of the gardens but allows the room to be filled with natural light. From the breakfast area double French doors lead you out onto the terrace while another door reveals the separate utility room.
First Floor
The galleried landing allows access to all of the bedrooms. The master room offers a dual aspect and its own en-suite facilities. The guest room also has its own en-suite, while the two remaining bedrooms are both equally as welcoming and are serviced by the family bathroom.
Annexe
From the utility room a door leads through to the annexe. First you step into the fully fitted kitchen with its beautiful range of contemporary cabinets. Beyond the kitchen is a welcoming reception hall with external access. The remaining three rooms lead off the hall with a family bathroom flanked by a dual aspect double bedroom and a sitting room respectively. The sitting room has double doors leading out onto the elevated terrace.
Setting the Scene
The gardens surround this beautiful home and there is a central terrace that leads from both the main house and the annexe, creating an outdoor space that is ideal for parties, games or simply relaxing in. Mature native trees and shrubs frame the extensive lawns and there are attractive places to sit nestled in semi shade.
It’s an enclosed garden with electric gates so we are very secure here, which is great for dogs, and children, said the owner.
Backing on to open countryside, the house enjoys good views of sunsets.
With a double garage and shed there is plenty of space for bikes and garden tools.
Within Easy Reach
Anchor Street is a rural hamlet on the edge of the Norfolk coastline and Norfolk Broads. The village of Worstead is approximately two miles away and offers a regular rail service into the city of Norwich and onto the popular town of North Walsham. North Walsham would be the closest town and offers a wonderful range of shops, schooling and banks. The delight of living close to the Norfolk Broads is appreciated by the owners, who head there to walk and fish or to watch the boats and wildlife.
They also enjoy all the great pubs and restaurants in the area too, often following a visit with a walk on Sea Palling beach.
The cathedral city of Norwich is approximately twelve miles away and offers a wonderful array of restaurants and shopping facilities including two major shopping centres.
You can be in the centre of Norwich in 25 minutes, said the owner, pointing out that there are excellent road links to the A11 and Stansted Airport, and there is a nearby train station too.
Services from Norwich to London Liverpool Street take approximately two hours. Norwich also boasts its own airport offering national and international connections. From Norwich you can access the A47 and A11 providing access to other key locations around the country.
DIRECTIONS:
Travelling north east from Norwich proceed onto the B1150 North Walsham Road. Continue through the villages of Horstead and Coltishall and after three miles you will pass The Three Horseshoes Public House at Scottow. Proceed for approximately another two hundred yards and take the next turning right signposted (By way) to Slowley. After crossing the railway line continue for approximately half a mile and Willow Lodge will be found on the left hand side after entering Anchor Street set back behind automatic wrought iron gates.
For those with satellite navigation the post code for the property is NR12 8HR.
Fine is the seller’s agent for this property. Your conveyancer is legally responsible for ensuring any purchase agreement fully protects your position. We make detailed enquiries of the seller to ensure the information provided is as accurate as possible. Please inform us if you become aware of any information being inaccurate