Norton Mill House

An Over View of Norton Mill House Continued

These modern amenities have been successfully combined with retained original features including exposed beams and timbers, which have been sanded and treated, and fireplaces.The vendors have also landscaped the gardens and added a new more direct driveway to the house but retained the original curving drive which provides alternative access or the option to create an in out driveway. The new drive has electric gated access and leads to a gravelled parking area with a turning circle. The house now has just under 4,700 sq. ft. of versatile accommodation over three floors. The ground floor has two principal reception rooms, a study for working from home and a nearly 38 ft. open plan kitchen/breakfast room with doors to an entertaining area in the garden. There are six bedrooms over the first and second floors. The principal bedroom has a dressing room and en suite shower room, one of the other bedrooms has an en suite shower room, and the other bedrooms share two family bath or shower rooms, one on each floor. On the second floor there is also a bar with access to a balcony with far reaching views over the garden and surrounding countryside.The property has extensive parking and the planning permission for the house extensions also included permission to build a detached double garage with first floor storage if desired. The landscaped gardens wrap around the house and include a vegetable garden and orchard. The property is in a peaceful rural location and yet, for commuters, it is only 1.6 miles from the A1(M), or 4 minutes’ drive or about 20 minutes’ walk from Baldock station or 7 minutes’ drive from Letchworth Garden City with services to Kings Cross in 37 or 29 minutes respectively.

Ground Floor

Stone steps lead up to a storm porch sheltering the entrance door which opens into an impressive hallway with wood panelled walls, a window to the front, exposed ceiling beams and a wooden full turn staircase to the first floor. There is a reclaimed cast iron radiator, a grille to the cellar, a built-in cupboard and access to the utility room and boot room, and a cloakroom with a two piece suite and panelling to dado height. A door leads to stairs down to the extensive cellars on the lower ground floor which were originally used as servants’ quarters and have a kitchen area with sink and oven, and a door to the garden at the side. The cellars are currently used for storage but have scope for conversion into additional accommodation such as a gym, games room or cinema room if required and subject to obtaining any necessary permissions.

Study

A glazed door and wing windows in a feature arch lead from the hall to the study which has a window to the rear and tiled wood effect flooring with underfloor heating.

Principal Reception Rooms

The open plan sitting/dining room is mainly in the older part of the property. The sitting area has exposed timbers and ceiling beams, radiator heating and a functioning open fireplace with a tall carved overmantel and patterned tile surround. The exposed wood flooring continues into the formal dining area which has space for a table to seat at least eight, and connecting glazed doors to the kitchen/breakfast room in the extension. The vendors remodelled the bay in the dining area, replacing the original curved window with an extended walk-in square bay. The family room has a window to the rear with views over the mill pond, walnut flooring, and a log burning stove. A wide opening leads into the adjoining breakfast area.

Kitchen Breakfast Room

The kitchen/breakfast room is an extension added by the vendors. It measures over 37 ft. by nearly 19ft, and has plenty of natural light with triple aspect windows, a lantern skylight in the breakfast area, and bi-fold doors to a paved terrace in the garden for al fresco entertaining. The breakfast area has the same walnut flooring as the family room while the kitchen area has tiled flooring and both areas have underfloor heating. The kitchen has a vaulted ceiling and a comprehensive range of bespoke true handle less, push to open base and tall units as well as a central island. There are two double larder units incorporating a hidden coffee station, a pull out single basket larder unit, and deep pan drawers in the island. The work surface is 30mm quartz which incorporates an inset sink with a boiling water tap, and a breakfast bar on the island. Appliances include an integrated Bosch dishwasher and American style fridge/freezer with plumbed in water and ice maker, a pyrolytic oven and combination oven/microwave by Neff, and an AEG warming drawer. The island also has a wine cooler, a hob with integral extraction, and motorised pop up sockets.

Utility Room and Boot Room

The utility room was originally the kitchen of the property and has an extensive range of full height, wall and base storage units with a sink, space for a chest freezer, and space and plumbing for a washing machine and tumble dryer.A door from the utility room leads to the boot room which has a door to the rear, space for coat and shoe storage, and a fitted dog shower for dealing with muddy dogs after a walk in the surrounding countryside.

First Floor

There is a storage cupboard on the half landing of the stairs to the first floor. The landing has doors to three double bedrooms and the family bathroom. A newly widened staircase continues to the second floor.

Principal Bedroom Suite

The principal bedroom has a feature corner fireplace and dual aspect windows with views over the drive and front garden. There is a door to an adjoining dressing room which has a window to the side, and to the en suite which has a walk-in shower cubicle with an inset shelf, and rainwater and standard shower heads, twin vanity washbasins and a Duravit concealed cistern WC. There is a tiled floor with underfloor heating and the walls are tiled in the splash areas.

Other Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The family bathroom has underfloor heating, a concealed cistern WC, a vanity washbasin with a mirrored cupboard above, and a bath with a shower over. The shower and taps are by Crosswater. There are two further double bedrooms on the first floor. One has dual aspect windows and exposed beams and the other has a window overlooking the garden to the side, and a range of built-in storage which is currently without doors allowing purchasers to complete to their own taste.

Gardens and Grounds

The property has wraparound gardens to the front, sides and rear and is enclosed by a combination of walls and close boarded fencing. Two sets of gates open to the two driveways. The first gated driveway leads almost straight down to a gravel parking area and turning circle with a central bed with Victorian street lamp. There is additional parking on an area of hardstanding in front of the outbuilding. The other driveway takes a more circuitous route through the front garden before linking with the turning circle.The side garden between the house and outbuilding has stone paving, a door to the cellar, and a stone path to the rear garden which overlooks the mill pond. This was at one time used as a trout farm and still has fish in. The garden has paved seating areas and paths and a bark covered area with a 600 year old English Yew. Fencing has been installed near the edge of the pond but is very fine mesh so the view is not obscured and there is a gate for access to the pond area. The paths link up with an extensive paved terrace at the side outside the kitchen/breakfast room. The terrace has ample space for tables and chairs for al fresco dining and entertaining. It is bordered by low walls with inset planters and overlooks the side garden which has a newly seeded lawn. This area is the proposed location for the garage and is accessed via the original curving driveway.The front garden has lawned areas with several mature trees interspersed providing screening. A gravel path leads from the hardstanding to the summerhouse and beyond to a vegetable garden with raised beds and a greenhouse. A clipped hedge separates the vegetable garden from an orchard which has apple, fig, pear, cherry and plum trees.

Location

The property is about a minutes’ walk from Radwell Meadows Country Park. Baldock is about 1.2 miles away and has a variety of public houses, restaurants and shops. A market has been held here since medieval times and the tradition continues every Wednesday. There are primary schools in Baldock, Ashwell and Norton and the property is in the catchment area for The Knights Templar School for secondary education which is rated as good by Ofsted.