The Mount B1 Mount Drive | Wisbech | Cambridgeshire | PE13 2BG the MOUNT
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The Mount B1 Mount Drive | Wisbech | Cambridgeshire | PE13 2BG THE MOUNT A Georgian house emanating elegance and style Sits proudly alone on its mound or isle; The magnificent windows on all four sides Shed light into rooms where decorum abides; A restored, spacious home full of only the best, Its scented garden, to wander and rest. • A Grade II Listed Detached Georgian Townhouse Villa • Painstakingly Refurbished to an Exceptional Standard • Sitting in the Heart of the Georgian Market Town of Wisbech • High Ceilings, Exposed Floorboards, Cornicing, Sash Windows • Reception Room, Dining Room, Sitting Room, Conservatory • Five Double Bedrooms with Family Bath and Shower Room • In and Out Carriage Driveway with Off Road Parking & Garage • Landscaped Grounds with Terrace for Alfresco Dining • The Accommodation extends to 2,476 sq. ft.. A charming red brick house, which dates back to the eighteenth century, proudly sits on an elevated corner plot of approx. 1 acre (stms) in the Georgian market town of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. With nineteenth and twentieth century additions, it has become a very spacious family home of fine proportions and elegance. The current owners took on the property a few years ago when it was in a pretty dire condition. A labour of love combined with great foresight, sensitivity and flair has produced an exquisite place in which to live that is flooded with light and exuding sophistication. Interesting Origins The reason why the house is built on a mound is because, hundreds of years ago, Norwich Road was a stream amidst marshland. The own- er informs us, “Originally, the house, which was then called Hill House, was owned by the Cockett family who were local fruit growers and who have properties and roads named after them. Not only that, but a Cockett Red is a dessert apple listed in the English vintage apple listings. We specially arranged to have some of these trees propagated, three of which are now planted in this very garden. The house has an ideal layout which makes use of natural light. It was originally designed for four adults and two servants. Apparently, in the latter half of the twentieth century it is supposed to have been a recording studio for a well-known musician.” “From the moment I stepped into the house, despite its condition, I knew this was my ideal home,” exclaims the owner. “Priority for me was to restore all the original features and keep everything as it was that truly belonged to the house and its heritage - the only things I added were my personal choice of furnishings and art.” A Symphony of Changing Light On entering the house you are immediately struck by the very elegant space full of light and space. The high ceilings with their deep cornicing and ceiling roses, beautifully proportioned rooms and halls with their original floorboards, and period fireplaces, all create an air of classic -re finement. The main entrance is from the garden, approached up either gravel steps to the side, or stone steps in the lawn, under a Georgian porch support- ed by stone pillars, which has glazed double doors opening into a wide hallway, a stained-glass fanlight above. At the far end, another entrance is from the street. There are also doors from the kitchen and from the conservatory onto the sunny terrace to the side. The owner continues, “I was inspired by English Heritage and Farrow & Ball colour schemes. Downstairs, I have used Cornforth White. It’s a sophisticated colour which adds depth and character in a subtle way and changes tones ac- cording to the natural light.” High Spec Fixtures and Fittings “I love the kitchen,” she remarks. “It was handmade by a company from Gloucestershire and is unfitted. Only the very best craftsmen have worked on the house to achieve the level of perfection I wanted.” The huge dual aspect kitchen is L-shaped, the cooking area occupying the Victorian end which adjoins the Georgian part through a wide opening where the breakfast room end is situated. “The kitchen is home to the cream Aga which is a five-door electric total-control range that makes cooking an absolute dream. It’s a totally flexible arrangement so you can use it as a conventional cooker if wished, and you can put on any hotplate or oven at any one time. The cabinets are designed to house everything needed in a busy family kitchen and when the bi-folding doors are closed it keeps it tidy and maintains the clean lines. To com- plement the unfitted look, the colour scheme for the cabinets were painted in three different shades using Farrow & Ball Pelt for the island, with its white marble double-bullnosed work surface, Drainpipe for the glass display cabinets, and Blue Grey for the bi-folding cabinets and larder wardrobe. The kitchen floor is a dark aged stone. All the ground floor rooms flow gracefully into one another which adds to the charac- ter and beauty of the house.” The kitchen connects with the dining room, which in turn opens through double doors into the beautiful conservatory. This was constructed in timber in the seventies to a traditional design. “The conservatory is a lovely space; the architect built it on proper foundations to a high specification,” attests the owner. With a stunning dual aspect main reception room, as well as a second sitting room, there is an endless choice of where you might wish to sit and relax, or indeed entertain. The main reception is the most glamourous room of all with its huge triple bay at one end and another south-facing window over the garden. Graceful Staircase The beautiful stairway which rises from the rear hallway, which has been opened up with the sitting room, its mahogany handrail gracefully snaking its way up and round, arrives at an open, light-filled galleried landing from where lead all five bedrooms and the family bathroom. The dual aspect master suite is spectacular in size, and mirroring the reception room below, has wonderful west-facing bay windows at the far end, another window to the south over the garden. Combined with the fully-tiled en suite which houses a large wall to wall shower, traditional-style lavatory and washbasin, and marble floor with underfloor heating, it is a grand and sumptuous affair. As with the downstairs, all the bedrooms provide commodious living, and the family bathroom more than equals the class of the en suite, not only with the same heated black and white marble floor, but with the addition of a free-standing slipper bath in one corner. Well Preserved Original Shutters “This is the loveliest house I have ever lived in and I feel privileged to have enjoyed its accommodation with my family for the last few years,” enthuses the owner. “Christmas in this house is enchanting and magical. The beautifully restored fireplaces add warmth to the three main reception rooms. Summer- time here is as English as it gets with so many Georgian and Victorian original features inside and outside. This building has, which not so many properties can boast, huge windows on four sides of the house, many of the rooms being double or even triple aspect; these, coupled with its elevated position, allow a vast amount of natural light to enter the house from sunrise to sunset. The I love the kitchen. It was handmade by a company from house also features original shutters which, according to the local conservation department, are the longest surviving original shutters in Cambridgeshire, that Gloucestershire and is unfitted. Only the very best craftsmen have worked have been a part of the house since it was built and still stand in good form on the house to achieve the level of perfection I wanted” protecting the house from any harsh sunlight. When closed, the shutters bring the sitting room into another dimension that I can only describe as a beauty that makes you stop in your stride and admire the unique effect. I guess be- cause the house was built pre-electricity, the sun played an important role here, the natural lighting adding a magical touch which changes by the hour as the sun moves around the building, culminating in incredible sunsets viewed from the sitting room.” Enchanting Garden The garden was completely overgrown when the owners came here. Much careful planning and ensuing hard labour on clearing, pruning and re-landscaping the area took place to create the interesting and unusual garden of today. The owner states, “One of the amazing features of the garden is the copper beech tree which provides natural shade in the summer and adds a spectacular backdrop to be admired year-round; it is magnificent and is believed to be about 280 years old. We divided the garden into four sections making sure each flows gracefully from one to another, and for easier management. I wanted to be able to walk around the whole garden enjoying its different aspects. The terraced area outside the conservatory is ideal for entertaining, and borders a scented rose bed with topiary bay and yew trees. These lead down to the hilly, winding steps past the perennials and bee-hive - to attract bees and butterflies - and displaying a ray of colours and scents from spring through to late autumn, to the bridge and staged area for seating. It’s lovely to be able to sit in different areas of the garden and look up at the house,” she muses. A garage - before, rather hidden and neglected - has been refurbished and become an attractive asset at the bottom of the mound.