4 bedroom detached house

This former Grade II-listed toll-house in Litcham in Norfolk has four bedrooms and spans just under 2,500 sq ft. The interior is awash with original features, including soaring vaulted ceilings, exposed brickwork and original wooden beams. Under current ownership, the extensive gardens and grounds have been partially rewilded and retain several outbuildings, including a Grade II-listed, early 19th-century limekiln, a garage and parking for several cars.

Setting the Scene

Mentioned in the Domesday Book as a 'Market Town in the centre of Norfolk' under many different aliases (Licham, Lecham, or Leccham are just three of twenty known spellings historically), Litcham is a charming village in the Breckland district of Norfolk. Equidistant from three major market towns, East Dereham, Fakenham and Swaffham, the area is wonderfully connected and has a fascinating history.

Operating as a toll-house until 1912, the house on Mileham Road was later a village museum and home of the Litcham Historical Society. A sympathetic restoration scheme under recent ownership has meant the building has retained a wealth of its original character and charm. For more information, please see the History section below. 

The Grand Tour

Entrance to the house is via the main garden approach and through a large reception hall. Practical tiling lines the floor, and timber tongue and groove panelling clads the lower part of the walls. At the rear of the plan, adjacent to Mileham Road, is a vast primary reception room with a mezzanine. It has an impressive vaulted ceiling with exposed beams; flint and brickwork walls have been painted in neutral colours. A wood-burning stove provides heat for cooler months; original stained floorboards echo the beams and ground the space.

Alongside the main living room are two further reception rooms. One is currently utilised as an office and the other as a dining room; both have bay windows overlooking the charming garden. Next to the dining room is a large kitchen with patio doors leading to a terrace. The perfect country kitchen, it has cream cabinets, wooden worktops, exposed flint work and stone slabs on the floor.

On the ground floor, there is a spacious guest bedroom suite with an en suite shower room and dual-aspect views over the rear of the plan. There is also a large family bathroom with a roll-top bath and a twin vanity; ample storage cupboards line the ground floor hallway.

Upstairs, a large primary bedroom overlooks the wonderful garden and sits next to a spacious bathroom with a roll-top bath. A second large bedroom is at the rear and offers views over Mileham Road. The mezzanine area looking over the double-height reception room is found on the first floor; this space is currently used as a dressing room, however, it could be a cosy reading nook or additional sleeping accommodation.

The Great Outdoors

Externally, formal lawns and well-established woodland unfold over some 1.5 acres. The current owners have rewilded large parts of the plot in order to provide a haven for local wildlife, including hedgehogs, badgers, butterflies and local birds. A disused limekiln within the curtilage of the building dates back to 1830 and has four accurately centred barrel-vaulted passages. Other outbuildings include a chicken coop, a potting shed and a double garage, accessible via a private gravel drive.

Out and About

A village with an array of useful amenities, Litcham is home to The Bull Inn, which is perfect for a spot of Sunday lunch. There is also a butcher, a doctor's surgery, a post office and a general store. There is both a primary and secondary school in the village, and a tremendous amount of walks are on the doorstep; nearby Litcham Common and the River Nar are a short stroll from the house.

Further afield is the city of Norwich, which has a plethora of cultural, entertainment and dining opportunities, and there is also a local airport for local and international travel. King's Lynn Station is roughly a 30-minute drive away and provides excellent rail links to the rest of the UK with a direct rail route to London King's Cross via Cambridge; Norwich also runs regular and fast services to London Liverpool Street.

Council Tax Band: E