How big is too big in a country house? It's not an easy question to answer, and much will depend on whether you want to graze a few sheep, keep a few horses or build your own nine-hole golf courses. The idea of owning the land for as far as you can see is, of course, a wildly romantic notion — but for most people looking to swap city for country, a few acres can be just ideal.
That, at least, is the thought that sprang to mind when we spotted Pipers Haigh, a gorgeous Edwardian home in the village of Belaugh, which sits on the River Bure a few miles to the north of Norwich, and on the market with Fine & Country at £1.9 million.
In the space of two and a half acres, you'll get a fine-looking four-bedroom house, a cottage, a coach house, an original greenhouse, stables, a swimming pool, several more outbuildings, and a field which was once a paddock, and easily could be again. Unless you have 17 children, or a desire to open a racing stable, it makes you wonder what more you could need.
Inside, the house is completely charming — particularly with the sitting room which opens up, via a pair of arches, into the library, complete with fitted ladder for those higher-up shelves.
As cosy and delightful as the library is, the heart of the house is the open-plan kitchen-dining-living space, over 40ft long, lit from a skylight above and french windows to the side that head out onto a sheltered patio area.
Eating in the open-plan space isn't the only option: there's a good-sized separate dining room as well, with an original fireplace.
The four bedrooms — two of which are en-suite — are all upstairs, as is a fifth room that's used as a study, but could be another bedroom if needed. The current owners' fun, bohemian style is just as eloquently expressed in these areas as it is downstairs.
So there you go — pretty much every box ticked, so far as we can see. And it's even within a mile of a station which runs to central Norwich, from where it's an easy trip to London or elsewhere. For those looking to swap town for country this year, it's a wonderfully tempting slice of the world to call your own.
Pipers Haigh is on the market with Fine & Country at £1.9 million — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
A remarkable $100 million numismatic collection reappears after being buried for more than 50 yearsA collector hid his treasure from the Nazis, his widow kept it secret for decades, but now Roman aurei, Greek staters and British pounds so rare that some have never been sold at public auction have resurfaced and will go under the hammer.
-
The Hollywood legend with an even more famous daughter: Country Life Quiz of the DayFrom buns to bubbly in Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.
-
A £1.5 million flat on the street where wig and pen once metIt doesn't get more central London than Fleet Street.
-
A spectacular coastal estate in Dorset set on its own private peninsulaThis 160-acre estate is part nature reserve and part country home, with a beautiful Arts-and-Crafts home at its heart.
-
A converted bothy on the shores of Loch Tay from which to enjoy the fresh tastes of SpringWaterfall Cottage offers four bedrooms and a garden that stretches right down to the lapping waters.
-
An idyllic home in Hampshire that's perfect for the musical mindLyewood House sits in 3.5 acres and comes with a purpose built recording studio and an outdoor heated pool.
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
-
A converted monastery for sale where the chapel has become the most incredible swimming pool we've seen in yearsYou can't help but wonder what the Trappist monks who once owned this 80-acre site in Devon would make of how the place has turned out.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
