Wetheringsett Guide price £275,000

A handsome, grade ii listed, three bedroom, 16th Century cottage set within a picturesque rural village. The accommodation displays a host of attractive and original features and benefits from a wonderful garden, rear courtyard, fabulous views and a gentle stream passing underneath the cottage.
The Story
Looking out from the stable door in the kitchen across to the bee orchids in the churchyard, Lee and Tamasine relish the picturesque scene as they enjoy their morning coffee.
It’s such a beautiful old church. As the seasons change, we see all sorts of flowers in the churchyard. It’s just stunning, said Tamasine.
While every window in the cottage offers a view fit for a postcard, it is the serenity of the garden that the couple cherish the most.
We love sitting outside listening to the stream and the birds, said Lee. The cottage is surrounded by trees and wildlife – we are always spotting pheasants and fl y catchers and there is even a green woodpecker that comes to visit us.
GENTLE STREAM
As it is an old water mill, one of the most striking aspects of this extraordinary property is that it has a stream that runs under the kitchen, hallway and sitting room for around seven months of the year.
The water is the best part, said Lee, who explains that in the early summer you can open a hatch window the sitting room and watch the water running away from the cottage.
You can also hear the stream from the kitchen, which is very relaxing, said Tamasine.
In the summer ducks paddle under the cottage and nest on the banks.
It’s in the heart of an old village and a conservation area. As well as the churchyard and stream, we look out onto other thatched and period houses.
WARM AND COSY
The layout of the property offers a real sense of space, which makes entertaining easy. I changed the whole kitchen and put in new floors, new units and beech work surfaces, he said.
And she added: It is nice to have somewhere that you can entertain as well as relax and the cottage offers this both in the kitchen and in the sitting room.
With its traditional brick floor, fireplace and beamed ceilings the sitting room is where the couple like to spend many of their evenings.
It is especially cosy in the winter, said Lee.
For Tamasine it is the small original details that help to make this room so special.
There are witches’ marks above the fireplace, windows and doors, she said.
These were carved in Tudor times to stop witches entering the home.
There are details like this all over the property.
STEEPED IN STYLE
At approximately 600 years-old, the property is full of original features and the
14ft vaulted beamed ceiling in the bedroom is one of the most impressive.
One of the most amazing things about this house is the sense of history.
The beams in this house used to be part of an old Tudor ship – you can see the notches of the original structure on the beams, she said.
The whole place has a certain feel about it; there is something magical here, it just feels very special. Lee agreed: When I first lived here back in 2003, the cottage was visited by a mill expert who told me he had never seen so many original beams in a Tudor property.
ALL-YEAR HOLIDAY
The cottage is renowned among the couple’s friends for its effective de-stressing qualities who fondly refer to their weekends there as mill chill time. The first weekend that all of Lee’s family came to see the house, not long after moving in, still evokes particularly happy memories.
People are just blown away by the property because it is so very unique, he said. And Tamsine added: When we spend a weekend at the cottage we feel as though we are on holiday – even though it is our home.
ACCOMMODATION
GROUND FLOOR
Mill Cottage’s inspiring exterior will instantly impress. The front vestibule leads you into the entrance hall and to the left is the charming sitting room. There is a wonderful expanse with stunning features that include original exposed beams and a wood burner that generates a warm welcoming ambiance, while a large window offers fantastic views over the pretty gardens and an abundance of light.
The kitchen/dining room is a beautiful and well designed area with an attractive open brick fire place that provides a focal point for the room with its striking multi burner and carved bressumer over the brick hearth. There is a plethora of delightful cabinets that provide plenty of storage. The room also affords a dining area, which is the perfect space to have your morning coffee, enjoy the lovely view over the pretty garden and the countryside. The rear door leads you gently to the courtyard, which offers the most magnificent views of the local church.
FIRST FLOOR
The first floor accommodation offers two wonderful bedrooms each with their own individual character. The master bedroom room has stunning elevated views over the surrounding area and lovely exposed beams and a breath taking vaulted ceiling.
Complementing this floor is an easily accessed family bathroom and a study area with the most wonderful picture post card views.
SECOND FLOOR
Ascending the stairs to the second floor, the excellent third Bedroom is found. This room has beams from wall to ceiling that evoke a real sense of history. Also there is a large walk-in wardrobe and smaller fitted wardrobes and spectacular elevated views of the surrounding countryside.
SETTING THE SCENE
The couple have spent time creating the perfect cottage garden.
It has become a pretty garden full of shrubs and vegetables, said Lee. It also includes a 70-year old yew, in the shape of a rabbit, which everyone knows about in the village.
The gardens are largely enclosed by hedging that provides the occupants with a pleasant degree of privacy and seclusion. The garden plays host to a wide array of wildlife. We always have birds nesting in the bird boxes, said Tamasine. The sound of the birds is incredible; the dawn chorus is just amazing.
We also have many unusual butterflies fluttering around the garden in the summer.
A few moments from the cottage through the churchyard are walks that take strollers around the fields and the countryside.
You feel as though you are right in the middle of the country here, said Tamasine, adding that the area is great for cycling too.
Exploring the countryside in Suffolk is an ideal way to relax. The land where the ‘South Folk’ lived, named after the Germanic tribe who settled here around the 5th Century AD, it is a land that resonates with a rich heritage and history. This tranquil and relaxed county is characterised by ancient market towns, rolling farmland, villages of thatched, colour-washed cottages and a prolific array of historic churches.
WITHIN EASY REACH
The village of Wetheringsett has a school and good access to the A140 with the pretty village of Debenham, with its delicatessen, butcher, organic store, boutiques and local supermarket, just 4 miles away. In Stowmarket, 8miles away, there is a mainline rail station on the Norwich to London Liverpool Street Line.
Mill Cottage is just an half an hour from the bustling Ipswich city centre and less than an hour’s drive from the popular and pretty seaside towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold. But it has plenty of local events and activities to offer too.
About a mile-and-a-half away there is an award-winning chilli farm, said Lee. We can walk across the fields to it and they host barbecues during the summer.
There is also a local gastro pub a few minutes away in Thorndon. They serve up produce from the local area, it really is great food, said Tamasine. The cathedral city of Norwich is around 30 miles to the north.
DIRECTIONS:
Travel south on the A140 towards Ipswich and continue through Brockford. Turn left where signposted Wetheringsett. Follow this road into the village and at the bottom of the hill turn right at the T-junction. Mill Cottage will be seen on the right hand side.
For those with satellite navigation the post code is IP14 5PP.
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