Originally designed by the architect behind the BBC’s Broadcasting House, Walber House is a striking example of a modern coastal home that sits proudly at the heart of one of Suffolk’s most popular villages.
Located in the ‘green lung’ of Walberswick, with views over the estuary towards neighbouring Southwold, the seven-bedroom property is steeped in local history and has undergone several alterations in its 100 plus years, the last 40 of which have been as the family home of videographer Claire Whittenbury.
Claire, who has worked in TV and film production since the late 1980s, and is also a director of The Suffolk Short Film Festival CIC, Suffolk Shorts, has now made the difficult decision to put the house on the market.
'It’s been a privilege to call Walber House my home,' she says. 'The property has a rich history and I feel very lucky to have spent such happy times here over the years. But the time now feels right to hand it over to another family who can enjoy living here and create lots of lovely memories.'
Dating from 1906, Walber House was originally known as Blyth Bank House, and was designed by renowned English architect George Val Myer, best known for designing the BBC’s London headquarters, Broadcasting House.
Myer designed the property for his brother Reginald, a local bedmaker, and his wife Elsie. Such was its notoriety that it was included in architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner’s 46-volume The Buildings of England series.
'The Myers lived in the house until 1925 and it subsequently passed into various hands before it was bought by Reginald Hadfield and his family in 1959, after he secured a job at the Richard Garrett and Sons engineering works in Leiston,' Claire continues.
'Over the next 20 years the house underwent considerable modernisation. The Crittal, or lead-light, windows were all replaced and a new, single pane, picture window was fitted to maximise the views over the river.
'The luxury of central heating was also installed, making clever use of the local college’s apprenticeship policy by giving the house to a team of plumbing students as a project. They installed what was then a state of the art system and their supervisors ensured the highest standards were observed.'
In 1973 Walber House was bought by Lord and Lady Inverforth. The couple made extensive changes to the garden, bringing in horticultural experts from Notcutts. They also installed a swimming pool and converted the garage into a games room.
'The Inverforths loved the house and planned to spend more time here,' Claire says. 'Sadly, Lord Inverforth died unexpectedly and the entire estate was put up for sale. In 1985 my family bought the main house and the rest was sold separately.'
Walber House is on the market with Savills for a guide price of £2,750,000. Today, rooms of note include a double-aspect reception hall that leads to a triple-aspect sitting room, and a kitchen/breakfast room with French windows opening out to a large terrace. Stairs lead up to bedrooms on the first and second floors.
In 2009 Claire added a stylish annexe in the space previously used as her father’s workshop, while the property also features various outbuildings including a cold store and sauna. The garden has an array of mature and specimen trees, wildlife ponds and orchard.
'It will be incredibly difficult to say goodbye,' Claire says. 'The magical thing is that it’s in such a private location, nestled in what’s known as the green lung of the village and surrounded by trees and hedges with some spectacular views over the estuary.'
Walber House is on the market with Savills in Suffolk. For more details visit savills.com or contact Peter Ogilvie on 01473 234800. You can also find the property on Instagram at @walberhouse.
