The Upper House in Alfrick, Worcestershire, is a home of two halves.
For sale on the open market for the first time in living memory, the oldest part of this Grade II listed property is the timber-framed cottage at the back. More recent, though still several centuries old, is the “doll’s house”-style Georgian facade.
The building has been totally restored by the current owners who have lived in it since 1991.
They have taken great care to preserve all the visible evidence of The Upper House’s great age, from the exposed beams and ceiling supports to the wattle in the walls.
It is positioned on the edge of the village, overlooking the countryside.
A private gravel drive leads to automatic electric gates and a parking and turning area in front of the house and garages.
The front door is in the centre of the symmetrical façade that is typically Georgian.
From the hallway there are doors to the drawing room and library on either side. Both have the elegant proportions and large windows of the era.
In the drawing room, the sash windows have wooden shutters. There is also a picture rail, period built-in cupboard and the original slate fireplace which now contains a coal-effect gas fire.
The first floor of this part of the house has two double bedrooms, one with en suite shower rooms.
There is a family bathroom on the half landing level and two more bedrooms with en suites on the second floor.
Back on the ground floor, the hall leads through to the sitting room of the cottage which stretches back behind the Georgian portion.
At the heart of this unusual home, this sitting room has a brick inglenook fireplace with wood burning stove, former bread oven and smoking chamber.
The windows throughout the cottage have solid oak frames and bi-folding solid oak shutters.
From the sitting room, one moves into either the sunny conservatory or the cosy dining room.
Beyond the latter room is the farmhouse-style kitchen with breakfast room. It has a traditional feel with its quarry tiled floor and oil-fired Aga. It also has a more modern-looking electric oven and hob, built-in dishwasher and American-style double-door fridge-freezer. Bespoke oak units have granite tops over and there is a butler sink.
A utility/boot room off the kitchen has an original Belfast sink, Miele automatic washing machine and a back door to the cobbled courtyard.
An enclosed oak back staircase leads from the kitchen to the master suite on the first floor of the cottage. The suite can also be accessed from the main staircase and its size means it could easily be converted to two double bedrooms if a sixth bedroom were required.
The en suite bathroom has a free standing, cast iron, roll top slipper bath and separate shower, two basins set in a tiled top unit, a bidet and toilet.
The landscaped gardens have been beautifully maintained. There are mature beech and yew hedges, a wildlife pond, formal gardens with water features and an avenue of trees, lawns, herbaceous and perennial borders, pergolas, specimen trees and terraces.
A greenhouse sits next to the vegetable garden which produces asparagus, figs, plums, greengages, damsons, apples, pears, apricots, sour cherries, blackberries, tayberries, raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and rhubarb.
There is a triple garage block with workshop attached. The cobbled rear courtyard has a range of log stores. There is also access to a dry and well ventilated cellar.
Occupying a lovely spot in rural west Worcestershire, The Upper House has a rural feel while still being close to the amenities that Alfrick has to offer, which include a church, community shop and post office and a village hall.
The village finds its population of just over 500 swelled by an influx of more than 3,000 visitors on the first Saturday in September, there to attend the annual Alfrick Horticultural Show & Fete which raises funds for local organisations, schools and charities.
Malvern is just seven miles away while Birmingham is a slightly longer drive at 38 miles, although there are direct trains to the Second City from Worcester and Malvern stations.
VIEWING INFORMATION
AGENT: Knight Frank
TEL: 01905 723438
WEB: www.knightfrank.co.uk
GUIDE PRICE: £795,000
