House For Sale £1,695,000
Antingham Lodge is a well-appointed country house situated within grounds covering 20 acres with views over its own 7 acre lake along with sublime formal gardens. The property originally formed part of the Gunton Estate in the ownership of the Suffield family and during the 18th Century a dam was built creating the lake which was used as a mill pond. A mill was built on the dam and to the side a weir. The millstream still runs where it formerly turned the mill wheel. The lake is a source for the River Ant and also fed the North Walsham-Dilham canal which was terminated 150 yards to the south. During the 1920’s the property was sold and the house converted into a hunting and fishing lodge. Built of mellow red brick elevations to the front under pantile roof, the property enjoys wonderful symmetry with two rendered gable ends flanking a central glazed extension to the rear. Both aspects have spectacular views with formal gardens to the south and lake and woodland to the north. Inside, the property has some wonderful open rooms including a large open plan kitchen dining room with shaker style units, marble work surfaces, and kitchen island all hand built by Simon West as well as an Aga oven. Double doors lead into a 33-foot-long glazed garden room with three French doors out to the lake. A formal drawing room is beautifully furnished and has an open fire place with marble surround. The ground floor is concluded with snug, entrance hall, utility room and guest WC. Upstairs there are two principal bedrooms with en suite shower rooms and balconies overlooking the lake. There are two further bedrooms and a family bathroom. Further accommodation can be found in the annexe above the double garage which has ground floor entry and bathroom with upstairs kitchen, sitting room and bedroom.<br /><br />Antingham Lodge is situated directly on the parish boundary between Antingham and Bradfield, two small rural hamlets situated close to the sandy beaches, bird reserves and salt marshes of the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. North Walsham is nearby offering local amenities such as schools, train line to Norwich and indirectly to London Liverpool Street, as well as a Waitrose supermarket. There are public houses offering excellent dining nearby in Thorpe Market and Southrepps including The Gunton Arms, Suffield Arms and Vernon Arms. Beeston Hall School at West Runton and Greshams at Holt are both highly regarded independent schools and are also very close by. The Cathedral City of Norwich, the regional centre, is 16 miles to the south and offers a comprehensive range of commercial entertainment, cultural amenities and excellent schooling. Norwich has a main railway station providing regular service to London and Cambridge. On the north side of the City is Norwich International Airport which caters for both domestic and international flight destinations.<br /><br />Outside, the grounds are endless and sectioned into three main areas. Formal gardens to the south enjoy a rose garden with parterre box hedging, lawn garden with deep herbaceous hedged borders and topiary trees, reed and waterlily pond with three footbridges over, millstreams, spinney and orchard in open meadow, and a delightful wrap around terrace to the house with fenced lawn abutting the lake. To the north is a thatched boat house with mooring for two boats. The lake provides excellent potential for coarse fishing with two pontoons and a good stock of Perch, Pike, Bream, Roach, Chubb and Carp. Wildlife abounds in and around the property. For the keen birdwatcher it has been known to have been visited by Bitterns and Osprey, and regular sighting of Kingfishers, Marsh Harriers, Herons, Egrets and Wagtails. Canada Geese use it as their winter refuge as do Swans and many variety of Duck. Otters have been seen and it is not unusual to see Roe Deer whilst walking the circular boardwalk footpath in the surrounding 10 acres of woodland. The property is approached via electric pillared gates over a long drive past the formal gardens to the double garage and gravelled parking area and also enjoys secure secondary access further up Pond Road and also from Antingham Hill.
