A few miles south-west of Hadleigh, close to the Suffolk/Essex border, the Ipswich office of Jackson-Stops is handling the sale, at a guide price of £2.25m, of Grade II-listed Scotland Place, near Stoke-by-Nayland.
Colchester is eight miles away, which makes it, say agents, ‘much sought after by buyers who find Chelmsford too pricey, whereas for London workers who need to commute more than two or three days a week, Ipswich can be seen to be too far out. Being bang in the middle, Colchester and its environs offer the best of both worlds’.
Described in its listing as ‘a timber-framed and plastered house of 16th/17th-century origin’, Scotland Place was ‘considerably altered in the 18th century’ when a brick cross wing was added to the rear, followed by a later addition to the west.
The house was further renovated in the 20th century. It stands in 1¼ acres of mature gardens and grounds bordered to the west by the River Box, with views towards the neighbouring lake and water meadows.
The everyday entrance to the house is a heavy back door, which leads into a large kitchen/breakfast room, fully fitted with modern appliances, an oil-fired Aga and a central island with granite work surfaces. Off the kitchen are located the dining room with its open fireplace and the double-height drawing room, with a brick fireplace and decorative panelling.
The ground-floor line-up is completed by a study with built-in bookshelves, a staircase and inner halls, a sitting room with a wood-burning stove and a utility room, with a door to the terrace and the playroom beyond.
Upstairs are principal- and guest-bedroom suites, three further bedrooms and a family bathroom, with an open-tread staircase leading to extensive attic space, which could be converted to further accommodation, subject to planning.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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