If you like entertaining, you will love The White House. Situated on the edge of the popular and unspoilt conservation village. of Warham, north Norfolk, the attractive house, which dates from circa 1750, has an air of refinement.

If you like entertaining, you will love The White House. Situated on the edge of the popular and unspoilt conservation village

of Warham, north Norfolk, the attractive house, which dates from circa 1750, has an air of refinement.

It has a distinctive Dutch gable and later Georgian front, added around 1800 from designs by Samuel Wyatt.

Formerly part of the Holkham Estate, it has been a much-loved family home to Alan and Beryl Jessup for 12 years, but now the couple are reluctantly downsizing.

“It has been a wonderful home. It is ideal for entertaining. There are lots of places to eat, especially if you make use of the gardens,” said Mrs Jessup.

It is easy to imagine glamorous couples dressed in all their finery sipping sophisticated drinks in the beautiful drawing room, or outside in the courtyard by the candle-lit fish pond on a warm summer's evening.

It is equally possible to envisage a rumbustious family gathering with children enjoying all the space the house affords.

Together with the entrance hall, light and airy drawing room, sitting room, dining room and cosy study there is also a breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom and a gun room.

There are also four bedrooms, dressing room with cloakroom and three bathrooms.

Mrs Jessup loves to cook and has the ideal place to do so in her immaculate, fitted kitchen, which features masses of storage space and a prized four-oven aga, with a cool larder and drinks cupboards nearby.

The house retains much of its period detail, with fine sash windows, light and well-proportioned rooms and an elegant main staircase with a second tucked away.

Although the home had been extensively modernised to a high standard by a previous owner, the couple have added a few of their own touches, including converting the annexe from an office into self-contained guest accommodation with a bedroom, sitting room, kitchen, shower and wc.

Also part of their legacy is an open-fronted garage for four cars, which also features an owl box and clock, built in keeping with the house and a conservatory leading off one of the reception rooms.

Louis de Soissons, director at Savills, Norwich, said: “Houses of this type and size in this part of north Norfolk hardly ever come on the market, so an opportunity like this is genuinely rare.

“This house is a wonderful example of the 18th century, with the Georgian Wyatt front which gives it wonderfully elegant main reception rooms.”

While the house claims much attention, going outside is also a treat. The property is approached from the east via a gravelled drive, which leads to ample parking bounded by brick and flint walls.

The main drive also continues to the north, where there is further extensive parking near the numerous outbuildings, including a stable block.

But it is the gardens, and the grounds extend to 3.1 acres, that are a particularly attractive feature. Immediately to the south of the house there is a paved terrace edged with well-stocked rose borders and the south lawn is again bounded by a brick and flint wall.

There are various mature trees, including beech, yew, mulberry and Portuguese laurel. The lawned garden continues west, where there is a further stone paved terrace adjoining the house and the conservatory and overlooking the walled garden to the west.

A gate leads to a further area of lawned garden where there is a heated swimming pool and changing facilities.

However, it does not stop there, because there is a further extensive area of lawned garden, levelled as a bowling green near a mature secluded woodland, underplanted with spring bulbs.

Even now, when frosty nights are still common, The White House gardens prove an attractive feature and provide a hint of the array of plants and flowers just waiting for the warmer weather to blossom in all their glory.

t The White House is for sale with Savills for a guide price of £1.3m. Call 01603 229229 for details.