Inspiration, delivered

There are many unexpected dimensions to this Grade II-listed home in Hadleigh, Suffolk. Most literal is its size, with a surprising 2,700 sq ft of space unfolding behind its dollhouse-like frontage. The second is that it was most recently rejuvenated by Giles Miller Studio, the practice behind the unabashedly modern Woven House in Kent. Yet, there is a common thread (pun intended) between the two, namely an imaginative use of colour that knits together the home, which is largely framed by its exposed 17th-century timber structure. Honouring its history, the current owners have imbued the home with a discernibly expressive quality befitting its former owner, a Welsh painter named Glyn Morgan.

Bures St Mary is a peculiar village insofar as it straddles both Essex (where it is known as Bures) and Suffolk. (A fluid boundary, the River Stour, bisects the parish’s two halves.) This Grade II-listed house lies slightly to the east of the scenic Bures St Mary-orientated riverside, its fine frontage peeking above a wall topped with its namesake Juniper bushes. Although Bures established itself during the Victorian period when it had its own watermill, maltings and brickworks, this house speaks to an earlier history with its proudly symmetrical Georgian features. Cottage to its core, it has been smartly renovated in recent years with an eye to preserving its rustic ambience.

Framlingham is a Suffolk village steeped in a rather influential history – perhaps most notably as the site where Mary Tudor, later Mary I, was declared Queen Regent in the town’s Norman castle in 1553. Thankfully, the town is less drama-prone these days, forgoing royal intrigue for street upon street of exquisitely preserved period architecture and delightful local provisors. This house is no exception, with its double-fronted face and interspersed blue strokes making a jolly first impression. Brilliantly maintained, the house is at once cosy and spacious, nostalgic yet perfectly attuned to the needs of modern life – even while a workshop to one side, currently used as an antiques showroom, harks back to bygone times.

We see our fair share of houses here at Inigo HQ, and so can say with some certainty that a house with a medieval mill, later rebuilt in the 17th century, is something of a rarity. Out of action since the mid-20th century, the mill today is a reminder to the early history of the house and of Ixworth; among the carvings found on its walls is ‘I Lowe 1800’, the mark of the miller John Lowe. Whilst planning permission is in place to breathe new life into the mill, the adjacent house has already undergone a spectacular transformation. Outside are grounds of around three acres, with mature trees, a mill pond covered with lily pads and an island to boot.

Sophie Sims

Homes

Perhaps best known as the land of Sutton Hoo, Britain’s (potentially) smallest pub and its own blushing shade of vernacular architecture, Suffolk is a particularly storied corner of England that has also earned a reputation for its burgeoning contemporary cultural scene, wealth of delectable eateries and blooming wine-growing tradition. Here, we’ve brought together four local offerings that might persuade you to join the so-called South folk ...

Tickled pink: four fabulous homes for sale in Suffolk