Location

Castle Acre is one of Norfolk’s destination villages. A historic settlement, the ruined Castle Acre Castle sits on the east of the village, whilst the more intact but still ruined Priory is to the west. Wittles is perfectly placed between the two English Heritage sites for visitors to enjoy whilst ambling in between, with the restaurant close to the Bailey Gate. Beyond these impressive landmarks, the village is well served with an excellent village store and post office, two public houses, fish and chips shop, bookstore, primary school and a playing field. There is a network of footpaths from the village, including the Peddars Way and Rebellion Way, popular with both walkers and cyclists, and paths along the River Nar to the south of the village.

The nearby market town of Swaffham has a good range of shopping facilities including a Waitrose. Local villages close by include Great Massingham, with the award winning Dabbling Duck public house, and the creative hub of West Acre, with a theatre, resident artists and gallery, garden nursery, brewery, public house and café.

The attractive North Norfolk coastal beaches of Holkham, Hustanton and Wells-next-the-Sea are situated to the north and there are golf clubs at Brancaster, Hunstanton, King’s Lynn, Dereham and Swaffham. There are rail links to London Kings Cross accessed at either Kings Lynn (13 miles) or Downham Market (17 miles), with a journey time of one hour thirty minutes.

Description

Wittles has a long history of combining comfortable living with serving the village and its visitors. Formerly the village shop, restaurant, tea room and bakery, the property has evolved into a thriving and successful café/restaurant, with enhanced living space for the custodian.

This wonderful turnkey lifestyle opportunity, to live in a historic village and yield an income from not just the restaurant, but passive income from the retail shop at one end of the house, is increasingly rare in Norfolk. The house could also become one of the finest houses in the village if someone wished to convert the entirety into one private dwelling.

The Apartment
Occupying the entire first floor of the house that dates back to 1520, the self-contained living space is the perfect contrast to the buzz and activity of the restaurant. With open plan and cosy spaces, plenty of natural light through sash style windows, and a conventional layout with bedrooms at one end and living the other, the apartment is designed for ease of living.

An open plan dining/living room is the main space in which to relax or indeed entertain, whilst enjoying fine views of the village green. The triple aspect room has a woodburner for wintery evenings, and exposed beams adding further character. A fitted kitchen is adjoining, with a part open feel to the living space.

There are two principal bedrooms, both double rooms with built in wardrobes, with the third bedroom currently used a snug. These rooms are served by a modern bath/shower room, with fitted cabinetry. One of the highlights of the apartment is the oak framed conservatory, an excellent addition to the house creating a light and airy space to enjoy, and which leads through to two roof terraces which are in effect further rooms, albeit more reliant on the elements for optimum enjoyment.

The apartment can be accessed internally, together with its own external access.

Restaurant and Shop
The café and restaurant is renowned for its brunch, lunches and everything in between whether a simple tea and scone and/or a take away picnic for when exploring the nearby English Heritage Priory and the River Nar. The current custodians take pride in showcasing local and seasonal produce, alongside home baked cakes and single origin coffee, all of which creates fantastic engagement from visitors and regulars. The restaurant is centred on a 26 seat dining room at the front of the house, creating a vibrant welcome. A spacious room with exposed beams and bar at one end, with its south facing orientation it enjoys good light and views of the village green. The commercial kitchen and preparation room is at the back of the house, and is well equipped with plenty of space in which to manoeuvre, even at peak times. A utility room is off this, into a useful storage space. The restaurant has two toilets to serve guests.

The shop is a charming retail space, currently let to an interior designer having previously been occupied by a florist. The room has a lovely warmth to it, with bespoke shelving, cabinetry and fireplace, with a prep room at the back, and its own external entrance at the front. The shop has a connecting door into the restaurant space. This unit provides a passive income of £6000 per annum.

Gardens and Outbuildings
Tucked away behind the house is a delightful walled garden. With brick and flint walls, paved terrace, raised flower beds with lavender, Bay topiary and lawns, this is a private and sheltered area in which to enjoy the sun throughout the day. The gardens are currently used privately, rather than in conjunction with the restaurant although there is obvious scope to do so. On either side of the garden are useful outbuildings, with storage rooms and garage.