Hadleigh Road, Higham, Colchester, CO7

INTRODUCTION
Valley Farm Cottage, which is for sale for the first time in generations, is one of just a handful of properties on Hadleigh Road in Higham, which enjoy extensive elevated grounds and glorious views across the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Twenty acres of grounds includes a mix of woodland, pastureland and paddock land that surround the house and holiday cottage, providing them with near perfect privacy throughout the year. From the immediate gardens, the grounds descend towards the River Brett, where there is around 200m of private frontage and an outlook towards Stoke by Nayland church on the horizon.
 
All outside work and land management for the past few years has been carried out with a view to creating and providing habitat for wildlife.  For example, nightingales continue to return every year in increasing numbers and this is a reflection of good habitat management.

The property offers potential (stp) for extension to create a larger main dwelling which brings the stable block into the accommodation, creating a dwelling with a footprint of around 2250 sqft which makes the most of the outlook down the valley. Please ask for details

THE COTTAGE
The original parts of the cottage were built in the early 1500s and it has been added to over the centuries with sympathetic updates in recent years; it was also re-roofed in 2019.

The accommodation is orientated around two separate staircases and includes three double sized bedrooms and three reception rooms; highlights include a quiet room with an open brick chimney, views into the valley and underfloor heating, and a sitting room with a modern log burner. Please note that access to one of the bedrooms is somewhat restricted by a cross beam.

The kitchen is fitted with modern units and there is a bathroom on the ground floor and a WC on the first floor.

Although the house is not Listed, it includes plenty of original features including studwork, impressive oak ceiling beams and original doors.
 
SOUTERS HOLIDAY COTTAGE
A charming one-bedroom holiday cottage (known as Souters) was sympathetically converted from a timber frame barn by our clients in 2009.

It retains many of the barn’s original features including studwork, ceiling beams and pamment flooring. Recent additions include a modern shower room, underfloor heating, a spiral staircase leading to a reading room, and a freestanding log burner.

Outside, Souters has its own garden, patio and parking areas, and its position around 80 meters from the house (in the direction of Hadleigh Road), allows guests to enjoy privacy and to come-and-go without interruption.

SHEPHERD’S HUT
A shepherd’s hut (which is designed for private use) also lies within the grounds. It includes a fitted bed and is self-contained, having its own shower room, outside kitchen/dining space and garden area.

THE GROUNDS & OUTBUILDINGS
The grounds total 20.14 acres and are not affected by public footpaths or rights of way.

A range of outbuildings lies in proximity to the house including: a 1500 square foot Atcost Barn (of asbestos construction) with an attached brick storeroom, a greenhouse, a trailer store, a modern timber-framed stable block and a period brick-built stable block with a tack room (which is in need of renovation).

Around eight acres of woodland lies on high ground to the north of the house and yard. These are well looked after, feature a variety of broadleaf and conifer trees and are intersected by several private trail paths; they would make for a wonderful adventure space for children and keep the house and cottage well supplied with logs in the winter months.

The woodland includes several acres of sweet chestnut which is managed by coppicing.  This provides a profitable annual harvest of fence stakes and posts as well as all the firewood for the house.  

A 1.6-acre paddock lies on the eastern boundary and has direct frontage and access to Hadleigh Road, meaning it could be let and used separately from the main dwelling.

To the west of the house, five acres of pastureland descend as far as the banks of the River Brett, only a short distance before its confluence with the River Stour. As mentioned, the property has 200 meters of its own frontage over a free-flowing stretch of the river. There is a further three acres of grounds adjacent to the river bank which has been planted with Walnut trees.

LOCATION
Valley Farm Cottage is located off Hadleigh Road, a country lane with little in the way of passing traffic in the village of Higham in south Suffolk.

Higham is home to some of the county’s most notable private residences and lies between Stoke by Nayland and Dedham at the very heart of the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Village residents also enjoy easy access to the City of Colchester, to Ipswich, and to Manningtree (mainline) Station where a service to London Liverpool Street runs with a journey time of 60 minutes.

DIRECTIONS
Postcode: CO7 6LD
What3Words location: ///dare.phantom.fabricate

POINTS TO NOTE
The house is registered in Council Tax Band D with Babergh District Council and with payments of £2132.69 PA. It is connected to mains water and electric supplies. The properties have private sewerage systems.

The house has an oil-fired central heating system with a high-efficiency condensing boiler which was installed in 2023. The cooker in the kitchen runs off a mix of electric and LP Gas and the wood burner in the kitchen assists with the hot water heating and the towel rail in the bathroom.  

Souters also has a high efficiency oil fired boiler and underfloor heating throughout.  We understand that it also has a high level of insulation making it a very suitable candidate for upgrading to an air source heat pump, possibly utilising the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Souters has an energy performance rating of C. The results of Valley Farm Cottage’s EPC is awaited at the time of launch.

The property is subject to a covenant enforced by the National Trust requiring that any new buildings are designed and constructed to exist in harmony with the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

Souters was given planning permission for conversion on the basis that it is used as a holiday let.

Viewing access to Souters and the Shepherd's Hut may be limited subject to guests being in residence. 

GENERAL ADVICE
Before booking a viewing of any Brooks Leney property, we suggest buyers view its full online details including the street-view representation, the site map, the satellite view and the floor plan. If you have any questions, please contact Brooks Leney. A PDF version of the floorplan is available on request. These sales details were produced in good faith and are believed to be correct.