Beautiful Victorian terrace in leafy Norwich, NR2

57 Winter Road is a beautifully restored Victorian terrace house in the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’ (aka NR2), Norwich’s leafiest/family-friendly area just a 20-minute walk from the city centre.

Its cul-de-sac setting and green backdrop make it feel like you aren’t in the city centre (which you nears-as-damn-it are); the annual street parties, yard sales and community spirit make it one of the nicest neighbourhoods we’ve ever resided in. (Ask Bruce opposite you to put any glut from his allotment on your doorstep and he will happily oblige; ask anybody on the What’s App group for a garlic bulb – even at midnight – and somebody will pop across in their dressing gown to hand it over).

After extensive work, you could describe 57 Winter Road as a house of threes:

3 floors
3 bedrooms
3 bathrooms

Each lovingly restored over an 11-year period as money – and time - allowed.

Original features – think stripped floors, an open fireplace and high ceilings – are modernised by a huge kitchen extension (with bi-fold doors opening into the garden) and a loft conversion that wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel (this isn’t me bragging; the builders were just fab).

My love of retro affords you two record players to spin vinyl on (and a cupboard absolutely stacked with albums and 45s), a classic (yet working) sewing machine to whip dresses up on if that’s your bag (geddit?), a Pashley bike to pootle about the area on (throw a bunch of flowers, a bottle of wine and some cheese in the basket perhaps?) and a loads of old SRL cameras to try (and if you get one going, do let me know).

A bathroom can be found on every floor of the house, with two roll-top baths, each with bath bars for languishing in the suds whilst watching your Netflix series de jour with a glass of wine and a flickering candle. There’s also a loft shower with a killer view (don’t worry: you can see them; they can’t see you).

Not only does the garden have a hammock and deckchairs to relax on but there`s a sofa, gorgeous lighting, a swing seat and a wood burner for cosying up as the sun sets (along with blankets, of course).

The outhouse is three things in one: a shed, another bedroom (the sofa is a sofa bed) and an office.

As a foodie, my favourite room in the entire house is the kitchen which isn’t just spacious and sociable but has every device known to man available to cook up a storm, including a blender, a stand mixer, coffee machines (yes, that’s plural), a pasta maker, a juicer, a waffle maker, scales and even a glug-glug jug. Grab one of the many cookbooks for inspiration and get cooking. Dinner parties here we come….

When the chill hits, there’s a snug lounge with an open fire that literally crackles away to cosy up in; and three double bedrooms with lovely décor, lighting and design ideas making sleeping a breeze (oh and in those hot summer nights, fans will cool you down).

Need to work? Head into the outhouse which doubles up as an office with boosted wi-fi, a desk with chair, a printer with black ink installed, a coffee machine, cups and sugar, a DAB radio, a microwave and a fridge with fresh milk inside.

About the location

Like I said, NR2 is the leafiest of family-friendly areas in Norwich, just a 20-minute walk to the city`s heart. Before heading straight there though, check out the local area.

The pubs - of which there are two a couple of minutes` walk downhill from the house (one with a juke box and cheap pints; the other with an open fire and incredible food) – are almost as charming as the trendy little café (Flat Whites on a sunny terrace anyone?), the newsagents where can you can buy individual eggs (I know right?) and the view of Norwich Cathedral as you exit the house and head left down the hill.

More fab facilities pop up as you keep walking, including a converted church-cum-bar-cum-hot-desk-working-space, a pub with a huge beer garden that serves up incredible roasts, a hair salon, a café-cum-furniture shop, a fab deli for brunches and vegan food (and the largest of pastries), a big Co-op for essentials, one of the best charity shops for dresses I’ve ever shopped in, a bijou gift emporium, an ice-cream parlour and more…

Don`t miss the vintage-style bowling alley and bar, that doubles up as a karaoke spot. And definitely don’t leave this area without eating at Blue Joanna’s – I won’t sing it’s praises here; just trust me.

The city itself isn`t just beautiful (and it really is) but it royally delivers, with all the following to explore and enjoy:

- 2 cathedrals
- 50-odd churches (all lit up at night)
- The Lanes - an area of cobbled streets home only to independent shops, cafes and bars
- An incredible music scene enjoyed in one of four dedicated venues
- More shops than you can imagine (and those that you can`t)
- Soooo many pubs you`ll never get around them all (I`ve been here 11 years and still fall short, despite trying)
- a well-respected University
- A dedicated 24/7 market selling everything from bags to flowers and bagels to food (and what food it is - those smells...)
- A river that you can sit beside, swim in, paddle across or dip in after a sauna experience
- Several cocktail bars that double up as book shops, live music spaces or Tapas bars
- Hotels, both chains and independents
- Art galleries, both large and small
- Bakeries - don`t leaving without heading to Bread Source
- Coffee shops - try Strangers
- Restaurants - whether creative, cosy, cheap, pricey or Michelin-starred
- 3 theatres
- Regular events: Norwich Pride, Run Norwich, The Lanes Fayre, The Lord Mayor`s Fayre, record fayres, vintage clothes fayres
- The largest of libraries in a beautiful glass building (three floors and counting)
- Jarrold`s department store (don`t knock it until you`ve selected a wedge of cheese from the basements` deli and paired it with a glass of fizz)
Cinemas (of which there are three - one in an old church with stained glass windows)

Oh and you can ski really close to the city - on a dry slope in an area of natural beauty that also has a pub, a lake and a brewery serving Norfolk-brewed beer from a silver air streamer in the garden (Redwell Brewery) as well as a disused car park-turned food truck empire (Junkyard) which has morphed into a place to sip cocktails and listen to music as well as tucking into incredible street food. I mean... what don`t we have?

That`s not all... beyond Norwich is Norfolk itself, with is absolutely stuffed with beautiful beaches that could quite easily match Cornwall; the Broads for boats, birds and windmills; and more quaint towns and villages (check out Upton for idyllic village life on the river).


We are spoilt living here - and you will be too, if only for a holiday or vacation.


P.s: the photos were largely - and professionally - taken by Jeremy James who is a professional photographer. Like his style? Check out his stunning wedding shots at www.jeremyjamesweddings.co.uk

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