An Arts and Crafts home built for a former mayor has come up for sale in Norwich priced at a guide of £1,195,000.
The property is located on Poplar Avenue, a leafy avenue off Newmarket Road, and was built for the novelist, poet and once mayor of Norwich, Ralph Mottram.
Mr Mottram was born in the city and grew up in the Gurney’s bank building, which later became Barclay’s bank and then the arts venue Open. As an author, he is best known for The Spanish Farm trilogy and even set one of his novels – Mr Dormer – in the former bank building.
During the First World War, he was posted to the Western Front with the 9th Norfolk Regiment, 6th Division British Expeditionary Force, where he penned several poems. He later became a divisional claims officer and was assigned to the claims commission’s HQ at Boulogne before being promoted to lieutenant.
After returning to England, Mr Mottram was appointed Lord Mayor of Norwich – the same year as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – and later became a British Council representative to the United States Airforce, which was posted in Norfolk during the Second World War.
He was also a chairman of the Norwich Society, campaigned for the protection of Mousehold Heath and, along with several others, helped secure the foundation of the University of East Anglia, which awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1966.
His former home on Poplar Avenue was built just at the end of the Arts and Crafts movement and, as a result, boasts a number of distinctive character features typical of the period.
The property is approached by an attractive U-shaped driveway and enters through a porch which leads into the entrance hall.
The majority of the ground floor is dominated by a large open-plan living space, featuring a large kitchen fitted with high-quality cabinetry and appliances and a central island which houses a good-sized breakfast bar.
The space then extends out towards a seating area and dining space, which both sit under a roof lantern and alongside a full run of bi-fold doors, which open out to a sun deck.
The seating area is actually in the original section of the home and retains a period fireplace, while the rest of the space is divided into a playroom. There is also a utility and boot room and a spacious cellar underneath the kitchen.
Four bedrooms are located on the first floor, including an impressive principal suite which has a dressing room and shower room and offers lovely views across the valley.
The remaining three bedrooms are all good-sized doubles and served by a spacious family bathroom, while a further bedroom, currently used as a study and studio, is located on the floor above.
Outside, a spokesperson for Sowerbys says that the “sprawling plot is every bit as unique as the home,” with the landscaped driveway providing an elegant welcome and the detached garage – complete with electric car charger – providing additional parking space.
There is a large terrace at the rear of the property, which is joined to the main living area by a set of bi-fold doors.
Further down there is a terrace and a well-tended lawn as well as a herb garden and selection of fruit trees including apple, pear and apricot. Beyond this, there is a wooded area.
For more information, contact Sowerbys.
PROPERTY FACTS
Poplar Avenue, Norwich
Guide price: £1,195,000
Sowerbys, 01603 361647
www.sowerbys.com
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