High Street, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23

Dolphin House is a superb Grade II Listed double fronted town house, rendered cream under a pantiled roof, and situated on the High Street in Wells-next-the-Sea. Once the hub of commercial activity, the High Street is now a highly sought after residential Conservation Area lined with period properties, many of which are similarly Listed. Dolphin House has in the past been a hardware shop, selling everything from buckets to guns, a restaurant and once featured in a 1970s BBC adaptation of M R James's book, A Warning to the Curious.

However, the property has since been lovingly renovated and refurbished in more recent years to offer well proportioned flexible family sized accommodation. On the ground floor, there is a large sitting room/bar which opens into a spacious kitchendining room with a separate utility room and cloakroom. Upstairs, there is a principal bedroom with en suite shower room, 2 further double bedrooms and a family bathroom. A separate staircase leads up to a vaulted second floor living room with a shower room and a latch door to a large bedroom 4, also with vaulted ceiling.

The property has many interesting features such as exposed beams and floorboards, period fireplaces and wood burning stoves, glazed internal doors and stained glass panels, sash windows and a cellar.  Outside, there is an attractive low maintenance west facing courtyard garden to the rear and the all too rare benefit of a parking space in the heart of the Wells-next-the-Sea.

The centre of town is just a short stroll away making Dolphin House an ideal permanent home close to all of the amenities on offer or a character second home with holiday lettings potential.

Wells-next-the-Sea has been a fishing and commercial port for nearly 600 years which still supports a thriving fishing fleet bringing in crabs, lobsters, mussels and whelks sold locally on the quayside and in nearby restaurants. With a growing number of leisure craft moorings, a lively, sociable sailing club, harbour and sea fishing trips, the town caters for every type of water activity including “gillying” -crabbing on the quayside. Situated a mile from the Quay, the stunning extensive sandy beach is ranked as one of the top 10 in the country by Telegraph Travel. Against a backdrop of Corsican pinewoods, the beach is home to the much publicised, iconic colourful beach huts, available to buy or rent daily.

From the top of town down to the Quay, Staithe Street provides visitors and locals with a wide variety of shops, cafes, galleries and food stores. For entertainment, the newly opened Wells Maltings offers live entertainment and exhibitions, whilst alongside the Quay, are all the usual popular traditional seaside attractions. After 3 years of restoration, the Quay also sees the welcome return of The Albatros (a former Dutch cargo ship) which is permanently moored and will reopen soon offering its own unique forms of hospitability. Locals agree with The Times in March 2021 who voted Wells as one of the best places to live. Alongside coastal scenery, wildlife and water sports, the town has a primary and secondary school – both rated Good by Ofsted - as well as a library, doctor’s surgery and hospital providing a range of accessible and integrated health and well being services.

Mains water, mains drainage and mains electricity.  Gas-fired central heating to radiators.  EPC Rating Band n/a (exempt as Listed building).

North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9EN.  Council Tax Band E.

SITTING ROOM/BAR

7.90m x 4.65m (25' 11" x 15' 3") at widest points.
A period timber entrance door with stained glass panels leads directly off High Street into the impressive sitting room/bar. Wide brick fireplace housing a wood burning stove with fitted cupboard and display shelves to one side. Bar area with space for stools and a bench seat, staircase with ornate balustrade and handrail leading down to the cellar with a shell top display cabinet over. Exposed pine floorboards, painted ceiling beams, 2 large windows to the High Street and a wide archway with glazed sliding double doors leading into:

KITCHEN/DINING ROOM

7.26m x 5.59m (23' 10" x 18' 4") at widest points.
Triple aspect room with French doors and windows to the side and rear and French doors leading outside to the rear garden and a small terrace to the side with space for a bistro table and chairs. Fireplace housing a wood burning range providing heating, an oven and hot plate, tiled floor, painted ceiling beams.

Range of bespoke Shaker style base and wall units with quartz worktops and tiled splashbacks. Island unit with matching quartz worktop incorporating a twin butler sink. Spaces for a range cooker and an American style fridge freezer, integrated dishwasher. Glazed door opening onto the staircase to first floor landing and a glazed door leading into:

UTILITY ROOM

3.40m x 3.03m (11' 2" x 9' 11") at widest points.
Full height vaulted ceiling with Velux window, wide window to the side and a glazed door leading outside to the rear courtyard garden. Bespoke fitted units incorporating base cupboards and wall units with oak block and quartz worktops incorporating a butler sink, tiled splashbacks. Spaces and plumbing for a washing machine and dishwasher, engineered oak floor, coat hooks and room for boot storage. Glazed door leading into:

CLOAKROOM

Vanity storage unit incorporating a wash basin, WC, engineered oak floor, tiled splashbacks and a window to the side with obscured glass.

CELLAR

4.93m x 3.36m (16' 2" x 11' 0") plus 1.91m x 1.15m (6' 3" x 3' 9")
A leaded glass door at the bottom of the staircase from the sitting room/bar opens into the cellar with a glazed former hatch to the side of the property.

FIRST FLOOR LANDING

Door opening onto a winder staircase to second floor, useful curtained off walk-in store room, stained glass panels and doors to the 3 main bedrooms and family bathroom.

BEDROOM 1

4.56m x 3.87m (15' 0" x 12' 8")
2 built-in wardrobe cupboards, 1 with a glazed door, 2 sash windows to the side and a stained and etched glass door leading into:

EN SUITE SHOWER ROOM

2.10m x 1.09m (6' 11" x 3' 7")
Shower cubicle with an electric shower, pedestal wash basin, WC, chrome towel radiator, vinyl flooring, tiled splashbacks and a window to the side with obscured glass.

BEDROOM 2

4.32m x 3.72m (14' 2" x 12' 2")
Wonderful period cast iron fireplace with a tiled hearth and 2 sash windows to the High Street.

BEDROOM 3

3.93m x 3.72m (12' 11" x 12' 2")
Period cast iron fireplace, small window to the rear and 2 sash windows to the High Street.

FAMILY BATHROOM

2.98m x 2.74m (9' 9" x 9' 0")
Bath with shower mixer tap, electric shower and shower curtain over, wash basin, WC, cupboard housing the gas-fired boiler and hot water cylinder. Vinyl flooring, tiled splashbacks, high level stained glass panels to the landing and a sash window to the rear with obscured glass.

SECOND FLOOR

ATTIC LIVING SPACE

5.63m x 3.50m (18' 6" x 11' 6") at widest points.
Flexible space currently used as a living area for the adjacent bedroom 4. Vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, storage recess, 2 Velux windows, latch door to bedroom 4 and a stained glass door leading into:

SHOWER ROOM

2.11m x 1.90m (6' 11" x 6' 3")
Shower cubicle, pedestal wash basin, WC and stained glass panels.

ATTIC BEDROOM 4

8.27m x 3.29m (27' 2" x 10' 10")
Vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and 2 Velux windows.

OUTSIDE

Dolphin House has a driveway to the side providing parking for 1 car with tall metal double gates leading to the west facing garden to the rear. The garden has been laid out for ease of maintenance comprising gravelled areas interspersed with pamment tiled and sandstone paved terraces and a feature central plant bed and plenty of space for planters etc. Covered log store and bike storage, small garden tool shed, outside tap and lighting, fenced boundaries.

Please note that the property behind, Blackbird Barn, has a pedestrian right of way to the side of the driveway.