For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Chaucer Barn
- Style
- Colourful, cool barn deluxe
- Setting
- Pheasant-studded Norfolk farmland
Take one barn in 80 acres of soul-stirring farmland, add striking architecture, creative design and colourful Bohemian furnishings, plus every home and hotel luxury, and you have the magnificent Chaucer Barn. Just over two miles from North Norfolk’s celebrated coastline, this stylish nine-roomed self-catering property is ideal for families who want high-calibred charm as well as every creature comfort. Handpainted drapes reminiscent of a Kandinsky artwork demonstrate the owner’s creative flair, while a packet of Resolve in every ensuite exemplifies your host’s TLC and attention to detail. The open-plan kitchen and dining space is the convivial heart of this hip home from home, with the herb- and flower-filled landscaped gardens visible from every window.
‘Amazing weekend! Fantastic company in a beautiful house. Lots of space even though there were 18 of us. Every bedroom is great, perfectly designed and tastefully decorated.’
‘Great garden area and fun BBQ. Lots of places for the kids to hide as well as for the big kids to play too. We'll definitely come back and would recommend this place to anyone.’
In the know
House style
Award-winning contemporary barn conversion with traditional features.
Grounds
Set on an 80-acre farm, amid five acres of landscaped gardens, rolling green lawns and a children’s play area. As well as striking topiary, a herb garden and a romantic wildflower meadow, there’s a pergola with a barbecue.
Sleeps
Up to 18.
Ideal for
Family holidays, private house parties, special occasions and stylish hen weekends.
Rates
A long weekend is £2,399–£2,783, five nights is £4,690. A week at Christmas is £6,397. (In 2010, long weekends will start from £2,700; seven nights from £3850; five nights at Christmas will be £4980.)
Minimum hire
Minimum three nights in low season, five nights in the Easter and Christmas holidays and a week in summer.
Eating & drinking
There’s a welcome hamper of mostly organic, local produce: bread, fresh cake, jam, and a variety of Norfolk cheeses, eggs, local farm bacon, juice, butter, milk, biscuits, tea, coffee and sugar. Your hosts can also provide an excellent list of caterers if required. Tesco Direct will deliver to the barn.
Children
Cots with bed linen, highchairs, stairgates, baby-changing stand and mat, baby bath, potty, kids books, buckets and spades, and lots of outdoor games balls and cricket bats, kids crockery plates cups knives and forks. As well as the large games cupboard full of board games, there's an Xbox and also a kids DVD library. There’s a duck pond opposite the barn, which should keep accompanied minors amused. There are also swings and a slide in the sprawling garden space. And consult the guestbook to check rules for a game invented by one family who stayed here Called ‘Pom Pom 123’ it involves playing in pyramid trees and it's always a hit. Bewilderwood, the treehouse adventure park is about an hour’s drive away (www.bewilderwood.co.uk). There’s also Dinosaur Adventure Park (www.dinosauradventure.co.uk), and the Splash Leisure in Sheringham Centre with its wave pool and slide, only ten minutes from Chaucer Barn.
Music
There are two flatscreen TVs, an excellent DVD library, the full Sky package and an Xbox. For music thrills, there’s a stereo with iPod dock. There’s free WiFi which works best in the new wing and in the main sitting
Provided
Most conceivable mod-cons and hotel-style amenities are here as well as two hairdryers and dressing gowns. There’s a welcome hamper which includes a copy of the local paper and an edition of The Week, plus Smith members get two bottles of champagne.
Packing tips
Your favourite potato-based recipes (the crop that used to be grown here). Families with young children may want to bring more outdoor toys.
Eco policy
Environmentally friendly Ecover products are stocked, and the barn has a comprehensive recycling and composting policy.
Smith card offer
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To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
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This award-winning barn conversion mixes contemporary and traditional features, resplendent in English oak, heated York stone floors, and boasting a brand-new glass-walled new wing.
Interior
Bedrooms
Nine bedrooms, consisting of five doubles and four twins are scattered on either end of the property. All of the twins can be comfortably made into doubles. Furnished in a colourful shabby-chic style, each bedroom has its own unique design, and those in the new wing have a subtle colour theme. Imported Indian furnishings and modern textiles inject colour, with a suggestion of five-star luxury courtesy of crisp white Egyptian bed linen and fluffy white towels.
Kitchen The open-plan stone-floored kitchen and oak-beamed morning room is the heart of this stylish self-catering property, and it looks out onto herb garden and terrace. There’s a large dining table under a candelabra, which seats 18. There’s a double Aga and a walk-in larder which includes two fridges and dishwashers.
Living room The living space is mostly open-plan and perfect for socialising, but still really cosy with plenty of private corners to relax in. In the west wing, there’s an upstairs drawing room that really wows with its stunning views across the green garden to woodland-framed fields in the distance. An open gallery looks down from the first-floor to the main dining area. Tucked in a cosy corner off the kitchen is another sitting room, or snug, with comfortable sofas, an open fire and an oak ceiling – it’s the perfect place to curl up with the papers or a book. In the contemporary east wing, there’s a new games room. There’s also a large adjoining reception room, with another open fire, more striking open-joisted oak ceilings with massive wooden beams and floors. Each room opens west via fully sliding, floor-to-ceiling glass walls onto a York stone patio.
Dining room The fab banqueting area is part of the kitchen, detailed above.
Other The games room features table tennis, a darts board and a games cupboard equipped for all ages. The reception room features a large LCD 46" flatscreen television, DVD player and Xbox.
Outdoor
Gardens With five acres of landscaped grounds in 80 acres of farmland, there’s no shortage of outdoor space. Tree-spotters will particularly appreciate the young arboretum and the extensive woodland areas. You can make the most of long summer evenings and entertain amid this flora-filled splendour thanks to a barbecue and an outdoor dining area.
Parking There is space for up to 20 cars.
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
Activities
Best picnic spot
You don’t need to stray further than Chaucer Barn’s own beautiful gardens, which are hard to beat as an alfresco eating area. Hillyfield is another beautiful grazing area only a 10-minute walk away, which overlooks the village and surrounding countryside.
Best beaches
The North Norfolk coast is celebrated for its abundance of fantastic beaches. Best for families include the long sweep of sand with picturesque beach huts at Wells-Next-the-Sea which is a mere 3 miles from Chaucer Barn. Or head to the powdery sand of West Runton and explore its rock pools or have a coffee in the café there. For proper drama, try the sprawling windswept beach at Holkham; or for more peace and quiet try Cley-next-the-sea.
Best walks
There’s a fantastic footpathed walk about 2.5miles long if you leave from the barn and head to Beeston Regis beach. Or try the estates of Mannington and Blicking with well-routed National Trust signposts.
Smith tip
In terms of phone nous, Vodafone has the best reception; if you’re still struggling, try wandering about in the upstairs sitting room. Failing that there is a BT payphone that also receives incoming calls. For treasure hunt-style thrills, try to the find the 12th-century moated ruins of Gresham Castle which is part of the farm estate that spreads across the village.
Eating, drinking and dancing
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
Planes Norwich Airport is a 30-minute drive away, although there are limited flights from Scotland and Holland. Stansted is just under two hours away.
Trains Nearest train station is Sheringham (five minutes away) hourly connections from Norwich Station, which takes about an hour. Or share a cab from Norwich station, which is a 40-minute drive away and costs just under £30 when pre-booked.
Local taxi service Anglia Taxis are good on 01263 822 222.
Directions by road The easiest route to Gresham is via the village of Bodham, which is about 2 miles after Holt on the A148, heading east towards Cromer. A few hundred yards into Bodham, take the first right signposted to Gresham and Post Office. Stay on this road for about 3 miles, as it takes you directly into Gresham via the village of West Beckham.
Chaucer Barn is the first building in Gresham. Just after the Gresham sign, the road bends sharply to the left. Chaucer Barn is the first left on that bend. Look out for the blue-and-white mosaic sign to left of the drive. Once on the drive, take the left fork and continue left until you reach the car park.
Solid oak beams and flashes of contemporary fabrics are visible through floor-to-ceiling windows
Review
When driving through country lanes of rural Norfolk in search of a barn, one hardly expects to find a luxury home turned stylish guesthouse quite of Chaucer Barn’s calibre. Even if you are looking out for a five-star rural retreat. Solid oak beams and flashes of contemporary fabrics are visible from the get-go through floor-to-ceiling windows, flaunting the fact this self-catering stay is stylish to the core. Step inside, and even the most style savvy will be impressed by the personality-rich furnishings and artistic flourishes from around the globe. An open-plan kitchen and dining space provide the convivial heart of this hip home from home, with multiple sitting rooms and receptions areas to relax in.
Set in 80 acres of soul-stirring farmland with beautifully designed gardens, guests might be tempted to stay put on these glorious grounds. But as Chaucer Barn is only a couple of miles from North Norfolk’s celebrated coastline, and a small drive from the pretty boutique- and deli-boasting town of Holt, you’re spoiled for outdoor distractions. But don't feel guilty if you're feeling lazy.
Chances are that groups of friends or extended family parties who book a stay at this nine-roomed self-catering house will quickly be glued to its own on-site charms. Table tennis, a darts board and a packed games cupboard should keep you occupied indoors, while others can fully flex their culinary muscles in the sociably set-out kitchen.
Those seeking R&R may just want to reach for the stripy dressing gowns and make for one of the many Egyptian cotton-clad beds or cushion covered sofas for some downtime. Because when it comes to relaxing, Chaucer Barn makes it mandatory.
Reviewed by Juliet Kinsman
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
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