4 bedroom cottage

Set in the heart of the Brecks within the charming, historic Norfolk village of Great Hockham, Briardene offers the perfect place to retreat to, surrounded by glorious countryside with outstanding country walks and direct access to Thetford Forest, hosting an array of different activities. Furthermore, not only does the village have a real sense of local community and a fabulous thriving pub, The Eagle, but provides fantastic commutability further into Norfolk or travelling out of the county and a short drive from local market towns offering an array of amenities and public transport,
including the Greater Anglia trainline to Norwich and Cambridge.
Briardene is approached from the centre of the village, set back from the Shropham Road. It stands proud underneath a pan tile roof, with a rendered façade nestled behind mature hedging and a central pathway leading to the front door. Believed to date back to the 16th century, this charming Grade II Listed cottage expands across two floors with highly versatile accommodation extending to approximately 1,985 sq. ft. bursting with originality and charming character features throughout.

The impressive country cottage kitchen is complemented by a Rayburn range cooker, which also powers the radiator central heating. Solid wood worksurfaces and framed kitchen units boast a timeless cottage feel and french doors lead out onto the rear garden. A latched door provides access into the utility room, the only room of the house with a wall attached to the neighbour.

Upon entering through the central front door, stairs rise to the first floor landing and doors to either side of the entrance hall open to the dining room and the sitting room. The dining room, with windows to both the front and rear aspect also benefits from a delightful inglenook fireplace with bressummer beam, with various notches. There is potential for a wood-burning stove to be installed, or alternatively to enjoy the open fire. There is an understairs store cupboard in the dining room and a front passage that gives access to the the living room and the second staircase to the first floor. The dual aspect living room is very well proportioned with a window to the front and a small side window, but of significant interest are the fascinating, assumed Tudor, wall paintings on the chimney breast comprising two spoked circles, a bird in a tree, and birds with their footprints.

The sitting room, to the other side of the entrance hall, also benefits from a dual aspect with a fireplace with wood-burning stove, and doors off to the ground floor shower room/cloakroom which, significantly, affords the superb scope to use the study as a ground floor fourth bedroom.

The first floor has been transformed by the vendor, exposing the beautifully presented wide wooden floorboards. The landing expands across the front of the property, connecting both staircases and granting access into all three double bedrooms, including the impressive semi-vaulted bedroom. Furthermore, the family bathroom offers exposed painted floorboards, a traditional freestanding roll-topped bath with claw feet, washbasin, low flush WC and bidet with a dormer window to the rear and casement window to the side.

To the front of the property, there is a side shingled driveway, accessed through a metal gate providing ample off-road parking and leading to the partly converted garage and pedestrian gate into the landscaped rear garden. The single detached garage has partly been converted by the current owner and makes a great place to work from home with additional electrics added and an air conditioning unit, however, the garage could be utilised to house a car if required.

The rear garden is enclosed, mainly by high walls, and has been landscaped to create different areas of interest, with gravelled and paved terraces, raised sleeper sections and a central area of lawn. 

GREAT HOCKHAM A picturesque village, Great Hockham has the village green at its centre. The village currently has a primary school (100 pupils) and a popular pub, The Eagle. There is a church, community hall and playing field on the outskirts of the village and there are also a number of nearby campsites. Within walking distance of the village is Thetford Forest, with its numerous walks and trails (including the Pingo Trail) and the Peddars way forms part of the village's western parish boundary. Hockham is well known for the former Breckland author Christopher Bush (1885-1973), who wrote under both his own name and the pseudonym Michael Home. His Breckland novels give an excellent insight into village life at the turn of the 19th century.

Attleborough is a market town situated within the Breckland district and is located between Norwich and Thetford. The town has a range of amenities including four schools, a town hall, shops, coffee shops, bars, restaurants, takeaway restaurants and a doctors. If you are looking for attractions nearby you will find Banham Zoo, Melsop Farm Park, Hulabaloos and Combat Paintball and every Thursday you will find the local market, which was established in the town as far back as 1226. 

SERVICES CONNECTED Mains electricity, water and drainage. Oil fired central heating via a Rayburn stove.
 

COUNCIL TAX Band E. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATING F. Ref:- 9320-2628-5000-2020-4115
To retrieve the Energy Performance Certificate for this property please visit and enter in the reference number above. Alternatively, the full certificate can be obtained through Sowerbys.
 

TENURE Freehold. 

AGENT'S NOTE The property is Grade II Listed. 

PROPERTY REFERENCE 40955