'Exceptional' Arts and Crafts home with sea views for sale for £2m

Selling agents Savills describe Threeways, a five-bed home dating back to the early 20th century, as one of the village’s “finest” Arts and Crafts houses, benefitting from sea views and mature gardens and is on the market for offers over £2m.

It was built by celebrated architect Frank Jennings, son of Newmarket trainer, Tom, and father of the Second World War filmmaker Humphrey Jennings.

Threeways in Walberswick is on the market for offers over £2m (Image: Savills)

The home has been beautifully cared for and updated (Image: Savills)

Frank built around a dozen houses in Walberswick during the early 20th century and had a keen eye for salvaging items which earned him the nickname ‘magpie’.

He used old staircases, stained glass and medieval ironwork and beams from houses marked for demolition and even disassembled an entire house, The Mercers Hall on Lady Street in Lavenham, before carting it back to Walberswick where he rebuilt it.

Threeways is closeby and has been owned by the same family for over 20 years. It has undergone extensive and skilled conservation to bring it up to date, without damaging the fabric or legacy of Jennings’ original vision.

Many original features have been retained or restored, including its box-bay windows (Image: Savills)

The dining room (Image: Savills)

Savills’ property agent, Alexander McNab, describes it as an “exceptional” house. “I love the charm and character of the house, the stunning sea views and the beautiful gardens,” he says.

The property is surrounded by walls and hedging and even the gardens still incorporate many of their original features, including the brick and tile lychgate, niched seating area and lime-rendered bicycle house, which have all been restored.

Inside the house the front door opens into a pamment-tiled hallway, which features an original fireplace and a set of double doors that opens into the south-facing sitting room. It has a box-bay window and a glazed arched doorway, which then leads into a secluded garden and an outdoor dining area, which is carefully sheltered.

The home is light and airy and full of original features including fireplaces, tiled floors and beams (Image: Savills)

The kitchen is well-fitted and practical (Image: Savills)

Another original fireplace can be found in the dining room, along with a timber-panelled chimney breast and a mixture of box and triangular-bay windows which offer lovely garden views.

Adjoining this there is an eat-in kitchen featuring a buff brick floor – a typically ‘Suffolk’ feature – as well as a larder and access to the wine cellar.

The first-floor landing is a true testament to Jennings’ work, featuring a carved oak beam believed to date from the medieval era and timber settles, like pews, which he salvaged from local churches. The result is a lovely seating area with a window offering views towards Walberswick beach.

The eat-in kitchen is well fitted and includes a traditional Suffolk buff brick floor (Image: Savills)

The landing boasts a lovely seating area featuring settles that architect Frank Jennings salvaged from local churches (Image: Savills)

The stairs continue up and lead to a good-sized ante room where restored panelled doors open up to four double bedrooms, including one en suite, and a family bathroom.

Towards the top of the house a new room has been created in the attic, which offers panoramic sea views and is accessed by a contemporary spiral staircase.

Outside, the house has been restored, too, including a new roof of handmade Keymer tiles, which each bear the handprint of its maker, and a complete re-rendering of the house in traditional lime mortar.

The modern spiral staircase which leads up to the new attic room (Image: Savills)

Many of the windows have been restored, too, offering lovely views out over the mature and well-stocked gardens (Image: Savills)

New cast iron guttering has also been installed and the historic casement windows, complete with leaded lights and wrought-iron fittings, have also been renovated.

The gardens surrounding Threeways are well-stocked and a major feature of the property, featuring the distinctive pairing of English and Irish yews, as well as oaks and young and old fruit trees, including heritage varieties of apple, medlar, plum and pear.

For more information, contact Savills.

PROPERTY FACTS
The Street, Walberswick
Guide price: £2,000,000
Savills, 01473 234811
www.savills.com

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