'The full Tiger King experience on your doorstep!' reads a line from the details for Oak Lodge, in the village of Filby, within the Norfolk Broads National Park.
It's not so much the design, the thatched roof or the lovely garden that makes it stand out, however; it's what lies next door. The house backs on to the Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens — and more specifically the tiger enclosure. You can see the handsome beasts — a male Sumatran tiger named Kubu and a female called Dua — prowling through their wooded home, and hear the sounds of their roars as they call to each other through the trees.
The house is for sale with Minors & Brady via OnTheMarket at £365,000, the same sort of price as you'd pay for a similarly-sized (or perhaps slightly larger) house in one of the nearby coastal villages, such as Caister, which are a short drive away.
A large, open-plan kitchen-dining room is the heart of the single-storey home, while there's also a separate living room and three bedrooms.
Thrigby Hall itself has an interesting history. Built in 1736 by Joshua Smith, it became a wildlife park in 1979 when a man named Ken Sims took it over. Ken had spent some time living and working with wildlife in Malaysia, and — inspired by David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell — he turned this Georgian house and gardens into a park which now has not only tigers, but also alligators, crocodiles, meerkats and several types of leopard, among others.
The cottage's proximity to the coast, the Norfolk Broads and — of course — the tigers makes it jump out as an ideal holiday let, but it would also make a lovely permanent home. Filby has a primary school among its amenities, the busy seaside town of Great Yarmouth is within easy reach and Norfolk is just over half an hour's drive.
Lowther Castle: The incredible transformation of the ruins of one of Britain's greatest Regency castle
An ambitious restoration campaign has transformed the ruins of one of Britain’s greatest Regency castles and brought it back to
-
Five homes with their own orchards that will be the apple of your eye (almost literally)If you've been looking enviously this year at neighbours with apple trees that have been heaving with fruit, here is the solution: five lovely homes for sale that come with their own orchards.
-
Where in the world is this? — and other pressing questions. It's the Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 14, 2025Test your general knowledge in Tuesday's quiz.
-
Five homes with their own orchards that will be the apple of your eye (almost literally)
If you've been looking enviously this year at neighbours with apple trees that have been heaving with fruit, here is the solution: five lovely homes for sale that come with their own orchards.
-
A beautiful Victorian vicarage that was home to one of the Cadbury family heiresses is on the marketPenny Churchill tells the tale of Monks Bridge in Warwickshire.
-
An outrageously opulent mansion in London's answer to Beverly Hills, with a gym that 'wouldn't look out of place in a 7* hotel''One of the finest houses in St George's Hill' is on the market. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what's on offer.
-
Six homes with fantastic features, from pools and paddocks to waterside settings, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a Chipping Norton farm and a Cornish dream home
-
Queen Victoria's chaplain's house on the Isle of Wight is for sale, and it's a riot of colour, charm and joyA stone's thrown from Queen Victoria's beloved Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, the house where her chaplain lived is now on the open market.
-
An Art Deco masterpiece with five-bedrooms, a private pool, a cinema, a helipad and the ability to conquer oceansLady Christine is the very essence of opulence and could be yours for a cool €55.75 million.
-
The elegant 19th century townhouse where JFK and Jackie Kennedy dreamed of the presidency, and made their wish came trueThis beautiful five-bedroom house in Washington DC's Georgetown was once home to perhaps the most celebrated couple of the 20th century: John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.
-
This five-bedroom thatched cottage in the Chilterns looks quite like Claudia WinklemanMuch like everyone's favourite TV host, this property is beautifully presented.
