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PICTURES: The stunning exterior of Caradon House today (main picture) is a far cry from the largely neglected impression it gave when Naomi and Tim Hansell first visited the property two years ago (above)
KLmagazine Home Design & Build Special
elebrating her birthday in May 2012, Naomi Hansell decided to go to Burnham Market for a sandwich with her husband Tim – and ended up buying a house. A stroll around the village had led them to an estate agent, and there in the window they noticed the vet’s house in East Rudham was for sale. At the time, the Hansells were living in Sculthorpe with their four young children, having moved from Yorkshire following the death of Tim’s father. Naomi admits the couple had been thinking of investing in some local property, but the look of the building intrigued them so much they wasted no time in arranging a viewing appointment. The house, facing the village green at East Rudham, had been empty for about six months and was crying out for some attention. It had been the local vets practice for many years and at one time the vet for the Sandringham Stud had been based there. The minute Naomi saw it she knew it was what they were looking for. “I couldn’t believe how big it was,” she recalls, “and it had a wonderful secret garden, all overgrown.” She immediately fell in love with the interior space and the many outbuildings (as well as the garden!) and the couple’s initial idea was to move in, do it up and live there, renting out their home in Sculthorpe. But life has a way of turning things on their heads. Fast forward four years and Caradon House is now a ten-bedroom, nine-bathroom high-spec rental property, and the winner of two awards at this year’s Mayor’s Design Awards. It impressed the judges so much that it was the winner in both the Extensions category (the designer being Lawrence Coussell) and the Craftsmanship category (thanks to the work of Robbie Wright Builders in Heacham.) This Georgian house, which is Grade II listed, boasts a traditional frontage but has been extended sympathetically and extensively to offer luxury and comfort in the style of a small boutique hotel. Once they’d completed the sale on Caradon House, the Hansells moved in and rented out their property at Sculthorpe. Caradon House already had six bedrooms, so was plenty big
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