Country houses for sale

A curiously-shaped country cottage in East Anglia, with a beautiful orchard and a scandalous history

The Round House is not entirely round and didn't used to be a house, but its colourful history has finally settled in this, the next chapter of its life. Alexandra Fraser peaks inside.

The Round House (which may be more accurately called the Hexagon House) has been part of the village of Snettisham since it was build in 1750. It is now on the market through Sowerbys via OnTheMarket, at a guide price of £650,000.

Like many strangely-shaped buildings which now find themselves acting as homes, The Round House was built for another purpose. Nicholas Styleman built the premises first as a music house and team room for his wife, used for entertaining her friends – although local rumour suggests that he used it for other, less cordial pursuits.

At the time the garden was a pleasure garden, and went on to become the retirement home of Sandringham Estate’s head gamekeeper. It has now been sympathetically restored and extended to include nearby farm buildings, creating a quite substantial and, if we may say, very charming Grade II-listed family home.

Recommended videos for you

Primarily set on the ground floor, the home has a kitchen and breakfast room in the centre of the home, a family garden room at one end with a drawing room at the other. The dining room (with a wonderful, vaulted glass ceiling) joining the two. The Round House contains a second bedroom and bathroom, a study, which could be used as a fourth bedroom and the drawing room.

The garden is another gem in the property’s crown. The plot is only a seventh of an acre, but there’s a lot packed into it. An orchard of over 20 old English apple trees, among pear, damson and peach, a beautiful lawn and a charming patio.

The Round House is as sweet as it can be, waiting for a new owner to add another exciting element to the property. A vegetable patch and a few fairy doors, perhaps?

The Round House is on the market through Sowerbys via OnTheMarket, at a guide price of £650,000. Click here to see more information and images.