The River House is a handsome and elegant Georgian house occupying an elevated situation overlooking the mill pond to the front of the house and the River Tiffey to the rear, which is a small tributary to the River Yare. The house is constructed of brick elevations under a slate roof with the principal part of the house being three bays with two wings on either side and a more recent extension to the rear. The house is particularly attractive with a charming and recently refurbished portico with ionic pillars.

The ground floor is elevated resulting in fine views over the superb gardens and grounds from the majority of the rooms.

The reception hall has an attractive curved bay window, a traditional fireplace with marble surround and mantle, excellent ceiling heights, cornicing and two recesses suitable for books or ornaments. Leading off the reception hall is the sitting room which also has a fine open fireplace. There are sash windows throughout the house and excellent ceiling heights. From the inner lobby, which also has a superb fireplace, is the drawing room which is of particular note, being large with a pair of south-east facing French doors to the garden and another pair of French doors giving access to the orangery. There are two large sash windows with working shutters and a wonderful carved wooden fireplace which sits centrally in this fantastic room. The dining room is of a similar size to the drawing room and is elevated with two full height sash windows and a decorative fireplace. The current owners added the kitchen/breakfast room which has a full height vaulted ceiling with roof lights and charming views to the west over the river, gardens and grounds including a deliberate view down two avenues created in the arboretum at the rear of the house. There is a pair of French doors giving access to a balcony which is a particularly tranquil spot and ideal for appreciating the broad range of wildlife the river brings, including kingfishers, egrets, owls, wagtails and herons. The kitchen/breakfast room has an ornate wood carved ceiling panel which originated from Burma, a tiled floor, granite work surfaces and a walk-in pantry which is accessed via a pair of ornate carved wooden doors. There is another pair of carved wooden doors with stone surrounds at the main access to the kitchen which are a particularly interesting feature.

On the first floor there are five bedrooms with a principal bedroom occupying a wing including a dressing room and en-suite bathroom. On the second floor there is a sixth bedroom and an attic room. There are some superb views from the bedrooms over the surrounding gardens and grounds.

Adjoining the house on the northern side is a superb Victorian orangery with an ornate tiled floor and direct access to the garden.

The house has been well maintained by the current owners who have lived at The River House for about 40 years during which time they have made a significant number of improvements whilst being extremely sympathetic to its Grade II Listing.

Accessed both internally and externally are a substantial range of outbuildings with a significant amount of storage space with garaging. There is a separate stable block. There is a utility room located beneath the dining room and there is additional cellar space and a number of storage and service rooms set around a small courtyard underneath the rear of the house.

Agents Note: The River House is located next to the River Tiffey which brings wonderful wildlife such as herons, kingfishers, egrets, wagtails as well as fish, eels and the occasional otter. The house, which was part of the Wramplingham Estate and included the neighbouring Mill House, was deliberately constructed to avoid possible flooding. As such the residential parts of the property have never flooded in the 40 years of our clients ownership, despite water covering the road on two occasions during heavy rainfall in the early 80s and in Dec 2020. The river does at times rise into the open basement area beneath the property before draining out quickly again and does not affect the property being fully insured.

This property has 4.45 acres of land.

Outside

The River House is approached via a driveway which leads to a bridge which heads over the Mill Race and Mill Pond leading to a large pair of gates through which is the parking and turning area at the side of the house. There is a superb and high brick wall creating a secure courtyard to the south-west of the house. The more formal areas of garden are located to the east and bordered by a charming period curved wall. There are some fine specimen trees including a superb Copper Beech to the front of the house which hangs over the mill pond. There are areas of formal lawn with a network of gravel paths leading to romantic seating areas, rose arches, pergolas, a rose garden with a water feature and ornate topiary, flower and shrub borders. There are also a number of raised beds and a fig tree on the south facing part of the curved period wall.

To the rear of the house and accessed via two bridges, one being a personnel bridge and the other a bridge suitable for horses and machinery, is the arboretum which was planted by the current owners. This contains some extremely fine specimens of broadleaf and coniferous trees both native and non-native species.

There are two avenues and a well maintained hard tennis court along with a secluded Asian Summer House/Folly which is south facing. This part of the garden and grounds is particularly peaceful and private. There is potential for it to revert back to a paddock if required. The house has the benefit of about 200m of river frontage to the River Tiffey which contains fish and provides the basis for a plethora of wildlife, flora and fauna.

Situation

The River House is situated in the popular village of Wramplingham, about 4 miles from the market town of Wymondham which has a Waitrose supermarket and schooling at both Wymondham College and Wymondham High School. Access to the A11 is just beyond, offering access out of the county towards London, with the A47 bypass 4 miles north offering the same towards the Midlands and The North. Norwich, about 7.5 miles, offers a comprehensive range of amenities and Norwich Airport caters for both domestic and international flights. There is a regular rail service to London Liverpool Street (about 100 minutes) whilst Wymondham Station offers a regular service to Cambridge (about one hour) and to London.

The nearby villages of Barford and Barnham Broom both have good quality primary schools and The River House is also well-positioned for access to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the University of East Anglia and the John Innes Centre, all of which are located on the south western side of Norwich. There is also excellent schooling in Norwich with some renowned independent schools located just off Newmarket Road on the south western side of the city.

Directions

From Norwich, head west on the B1108 Watton Road. Go straight at the double roundabouts over the A47 southern bypass and continue following signposts to Watton for 3 miles. Take the left hand turn signposted to Wramplingham and after 0.6 miles when entering into the village, The River House can be seen across the mill pond with the village sign. Access the property from the adjacent bridge and through the property’s gates.