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Native hedges surround a wildflower meadow of cowslips, ox eye daisies, cranesbill and teasels
This delightful six-bedroom house in Kettleburgh, Suffolk, dates to c.1840. Interior spaces are framed by exposed posts, beams and braces that sit comfortably alongside a simple palette of colours and materials. Outside, a patchwork façade of painted brick, timber weatherboarding and pantileslooks over a garden billowing with cherry trees, rambling roses and a meadow of wildflowers that stretches to approximately 3.7 acres. Kettleburgh is nestled in the rolling Suffolk landscape andWoodbridge isnearby where trains connect via Ipswich to London Liverpool Street.
Setting the Scene
Corner House was originally three separate cottages and a blacksmith’s workshop, dating to c.1840. The amalgamation of the residences reveals a variety of vernacular constructions including timber framing and a flint wall on the ground floor.
Stone suitable for building was historically limited in Suffolk; as a result, timber construction prevailed, with the earliest surviving examples from the 13th century. Flint was more readily available and could be obtained as quarry flint or Quaternary flint from fluvioglacial deposits or beaches. In the Roman period, flint was largely reserved for prestigious buildings in the area, but from the 16th century, it was used more widely in cottages and farmhouses, offering an alternative to clay bricks which were more expensive at the time. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Grand Tour
A path runs from the gravel drive at the side of the house past the rose-covered façade to the front door. Entry is to a central hallway, with walls painted in by ‘Powder II’ by Paint and Paper Library and beams washed in white span overhead.
The open-plan kitchen and dining room is to the right of the hall. Here, the floor is a simple poured screed and the walls and exposed posts and braces are finished in ‘Shirting’ by Little Greene. At one side of the room a kitchen composed of locally made cabinetry with reclaimed Iroko worktops, a deep butler sink and three-door Aga. There is also a useful larder. On the other side of the room, French doors and a pair of mullioned casement windows overlook the garden. Light floods the double-height space as it filters through the panes, making a bright spot to position a long dining table.
On the other side of the hallway is a utility room with built-in storage, laundry facilities and a handy WC.
An office opening from the hallway leads to a large reception room with oak floorboards running underfoot and walls finished in ‘Slaked Lime’ by Little Greene. A wood-burning stove sits atop a slate hearth, creating a cosy atmosphere in warmer months. A step at one end of the room drops to a library space with a magnificent exposed flint wall, typical of Suffolk’s architectural tradition. Arranged around the library space is a study and a double bedroom with an en suite shower room.
Stairs from the hallway ascend to the first floor, where five bedrooms and a family bathroom are fan out from a central landing. The primary bedroom is to the right of the plan with exposed tie beams, and a door opens to an en suite shower room. Two double bedrooms with original wide floorboards are tucked in the sloping eaves, both with casement windows that overlook the blossom trees in the garden. There is a further double bedroom on the first floor, as well as a smaller room which would also make an excellent walk-in wardrobe.
The family bathroom has original floorboards painted in a deep shade of green, a pedestal sink, a large bathtub and a separate shower.
Adjacent to the main house is a studio added in 2011, which provides further accommodation or an excellent home office. Its tall gable end faces the garden and expansive windows take in views over white poplar and cherry trees.
The Great Outdoors
The grounds of the house extend to approximately 3.7 acres, encompassing lawns, a woodland and a wildflower meadow. The gardens are surrounded by native hedges of field maple, hawthorn and hornbeam to meet the rolling pastures of the Suffolk countryside beyond.
Pale pink English roses climb the rear façade of the house, and a pair of French doors open from the kitchen to a south-facing patio surrounded by fragrant lavender, hydrangea, salvia and gaura. This makes for a particularly atmospheric spot to enjoy a pre-dinner spritz on a long summer’s evening. Steps from the patio lead to the large lawn studded with walnut, medlar and ash trees, as well as ancient varieties of apple and cherry trees that blossom in a show of white each year.
A meadow at the rear of the garden is awash with cowslips, ox eye daisies, meadowsweet, cranesbill and teasels. Hedgehogs and rabbits, barn owls, swallows, woodpeckers and chaffinches are known to visit.The meadow was previously used for keeping ponies, and adjacent there are stables with two loose boxes, a tack room and a storage shed.
Out and About
The house is in the village of Kettleburgh, on a quiet country lane in the Deben Valley’s bucolic countryside. Just up the road is the village town hall, with its regular craft club and tradition of homebaked goods.
Kettleburgh is near villages Brandston, Easton and Pettistree. The Easton White Horse is a well-preserved 16th-century gastropub and Pettistree’s Greyhound Inn serves a seasonal menu and local cask beer.
Framlingham is a 7-minute drive away and has everything you would expect and need from a countryside town, including a supermarket, post office and some good independent shops and cafés. Regarding restaurants, The Station at Framlingham is a local favourite, as is the Michelin-recommended Italian restaurant Watson and Walpole. Leo’s Deli stocks an array of local cheeses, charcuterie and wine. There is also an excellent local market each Saturday, and wonderful antique shops Dix Sept and In Da Cottage.
For a supply of seasonal vegetables, salad leaves, herbs, edible and cut flowers deliveries can be arranged from nearby Five Rod Farm, which takes an organic, no-dig approach.
Snape Maltings nearby is an internationally-regarded cultural centre; a mix of converted malthouses and granaries dating from the mid-19th century, several exhibitions occur here throughout the year. It also hosts the Aldeburgh Festival, a 24-day event celebrating music & the arts, opera, comedy and film.
For sailing and wild swimming enthusiasts, Orford and Aldeburgh are approximately 11 miles away. There are plenty of schools nearby including Framlingham College and Thomas Mills High School, as well as Hartismere Secondary and Worlingworth CofE both of which are rated Ofsted “Outstanding”.
Woodbridge is approximately 11 miles from the house and has a train station that connects via Ipswich to London Liverpool Street. Described as the ‘gem in Suffolk’s crown’, Woodbridge combines culture and scope for all outdoor activities in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is also a very good independent bookshop and cinema, as well as a more comprehensive range of shops and restaurants.
Council Tax Band: F
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Inigo has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
Kettleburgh is recorded in the Domesday Book. At that time in 1086, Kettleburgh had two manors, one of them used by Sir William Charles to build Kettleburgh Old Hall in 1261. He built a moat, and in 1263 held a market there.
There are 19 listed buildings in Kettleburgh, including Kettleburgh Hall, and Chequers Inn, the local pub which had its own brewery in the Victorian period. In 1867, the owner of the Deben Brewery, James Grant, was the last man in England to be imprisoned for not paying Church Rates. The brewery was sold to settle his debts.
The village sign depicts the rustic ‘Kettleburgh man’, in Saxon dress, holding an axe, and jauntily surveying his farmland with a hand shading his eyes in the green fields of the Deben Valley.
Corner House — Kettleburgh, Suffolk
Interested? Let’s talk
Interested? Let’s talk
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