There is a house in Norwich no one had seen before — and it has come up for sale. Despite being situated in one of the city’s most popular locations — the restaurant-filled St Benedict’s Street, in the vibrant Norwich Lanes area — the detached property is completely invisible.
Accessed through a gate, it is tucked away behind another building that has street frontage, so much so that even selling agents Watsons — a firm that has been around since the 1890s — say they never knew it was there.
The house’s history is equally mysterious. It looks like a 1930s building, which in itself would mean it miraculously survived the Second World War’s bombings unscathed, but the interiors reveal older features, including a Victorian fireplace.
That said, the price for all this secrecy is that the property has been woefully neglected for years and is now in a state of desperate disrepair. The situation is so dire that, in their particulars, Watsons advise ‘the condition of the property is such that viewers are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear and the property is not suitable for viewing with children.’
The current owner, who bought the house in 2001, carried out some improvement work soon after purchase, but then moved away. Instead, some intruders managed to find their way in — possibly the only people in Norwich who figured out there was a property hidden away behind St Benedict’s Street — and broke the plumbing, causing major water damage.
Despite this, Number 36b, St Benedict’s Street has plenty of potential. It has two bedrooms, a reception room, a large conservatory and even a garden extending to the front and left-hand side, and once properly restored, say selling agent Watsons, it could ‘make a fantastic individual and secluded city home in a discreet location’.
With an asking price of £150,000, it is for sale by auction. Bidding is open until Wednesday, October 9.
Credit: Rowland Gorringe
Five stunning properties cottages which celebrate the very best of village life
Holly Kirkwood gets to the heart of the matter as she takes a look at five beautiful properties, all at
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
Exploring the countryside is essential for our wellbeing, but Right to Roam is going backwardsCampaigners in England often point to Scotland as an example of how brilliantly Right to Roam works, but it's not all it's cracked up to be, says Patrick Galbraith.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow downThe glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heartStokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for saleThe five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
