In 1930, William van Alen wanted to design the tallest building in the world. His problem was that H. Craig Severance also wanted to build the tallest building in the world. Van Alen was the architect of the Chrysler building, while Severance was in charge of 40 Wall Street. How to win?
What van Alen did was hide the spire of the Chrysler building inside the crown of the building, and then wait until 40 Wall Street was finished. For a month, Severance’s building was the tallest, until van Alen revealed his spire, and victory was his.
I assume that something similar, albeit on a smaller scale, took place on the mean streets of Cliff Hill in Gorleston. For number 24 on this street is just a bit taller than all the other period homes that flank it, courtesy of this magnificent lookout on its roof. It is for sale with Sowerbys for £550,000.
A miniature castle on the seaside.
More homes should have lookouts, if you ask me. How else are you to appreciate a view, or be able to see your enemies approaching from afar? How else are you supposed to enjoy a cup of tea while looking down on your pathetic neighbours? All of these are very reasonable things to consider.
Number 24 Cliff Hill is listed Grade II and dates back to the 1850s, and is very much of the rich Victorian seaside tradition. Set over three floors (four floors, if you include the lookout), the property offers five bedrooms and bags of character.
Highlights include the first floor sitting room, to maximise sea views, the garden room, the snug and of course the lookout itself. Plenty of period features remain, making this an elegant home in one of Norfolk’s better seaside towns.
But that’s not all. The property comes with a separate two-storey accommodation space, that could serve a variety of uses, a basement and a very well planted and spacious garden to the rear. Gorleston itself offers plenty in the way of things to do, should you be tempted to leave your lookout.
Views in every direction, so you can absorb the jealousy of your neighbours from all angles.
-
Suit yourself: I’m a 49 year-old man-about-town and I’ve never owned a suitWhen Hugh Smithson-Wright turned up to Country Life's annual Gentleman's Life party sans suit, it sparked a passionate conversation about why the formal fashion just isn't for everyone.
-
'The ugliness and craziness is a part of its charm': The Country Life guide to BangkokWhere to stay, where to eat and what to do in the Thai capital.
-
The wave of downsizing about to hit the property market in the UKThe Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget — and specifically the 'Mansion Tax' — has fired a starting pistol for downsizers, and the waves will wash across the entire property market. Annabel Dixon spoke to property experts across the country to gauge how it will play out.
-
A Georgian farmhouse that's an 'absolute gem' in an ancient village on Salisbury PlainJulie Harding takes a look at the beautiful West Farm in a gorgeous Wiltshire village.
-
It'd be crazy to buy this 500-year-old farmhouse just because of its utterly gorgeous Aga — so thank goodness that the rest of this place is also really nicePerry Mill Farm is an immaculate yet characterful four-bedroom dream home in the country at a price that will make city dwellers immediately start Googling 'working from Worcestershire'.
-
'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness familyThe Manor House in Burwood Park is a grand, enormous and undeniably impressive. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
A grand hall in Yorkshire with 400 years of historyCarlton Hall is a wonderful family home amid glorious gardens in a quaint village location. Penny Churchill looks inside.
-
Why don't more of us live in brightly coloured homes?It's not often that you see a home sporting the colour palette that you'd get if you hired a four-year old as your interior designer. But why not? The Blue House in Bethnal Green asks this and many more questions.
-
Five magnificent mansions, from a former monastery to an Art Deco wonder in the South Downs, as seen in Country LifeWonderful homes, including a superb beach home in Cornwall, all fresh on the market via Country Life.
-
A 14-bedroom 'miniature Downton Abbey' to call your own — and there's not a penny of Mansion Tax to be paidNorton Manor is an incredible period home that's on the market for £1.3 million.
