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Moving to East Anglia – What are the Common House Types?
Norfolk and Suffolk boast some of the most diverse housing stock in the UK, with a mix of historic homes as well as more modern flats and apartments. Hamiltons Removals, one of the leading East Anglia removal companies, are based on the border between the two counties. Here we outline the main types of homes in both Norfolk and Suffolk, when they are likely to date from, and how we can help get you there.
Tudor Houses
These from the late 15th to early 16th century. The most impressive of these are manor houses built of brick or stone. However, many surviving houses from the period have timber frames which were often built by commoners or homeowners of more modest means.
Tudor homes can be found all over the region, but particularly in Norwich’s historic city centre along with the so-called ‘wool towns’ of Lavenham, Long Melford and Clare in Suffolk.
Flint Cottages
Flint has been used as a building material since Roman times, when it was mainly used for forts and defensive structures. It was also commonly used in Saxon and Norman churches in areas where the supply of flint was plentiful, and other materials were hard to find.
Most flint cottages in East Anglia today date back to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. After that date, flint was either replaced by, or used in combination with, other materials such as brick. Today, flint homes are particularly common in villages and towns close to the coast, such as Sheringham and Brancaster in Norfolk.
Thatched Cottages
There are still a few of these types of cottages in East Anglia, most of which use water reed for the thatch. However, as with the rest of the UK, the use of thatch as a roofing material began to die out from the late 1800s. The perceived risk of fire makes them hard to insure. It is also a very expensive and labour intensive method of covering your roof compared to other methods such as tiling.
Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian Houses
Georgian homes date from the early 18th to early 19th centuries. The main features of these homes are space and high ceilings, particularly on the upper floors (because servants usually occupied the smaller lower floors).
Victorian homes date from the 1830s to the turn of the 20th century. These are characterised by high ceilings and large windows, just like Georgian homes. However, they were generally more cramped than before (often two-up, two-down).
Edwardian homes span a much smaller timeline, from the 1910s to 1930s. They have more space than Victorian homes, partly as a rejection of the mass-produced small homes of the previous period. This is why they are also more likely to have a garden and other individual touches such as floor tiles and stained glass.
All of the three types above can be found in terraced streets of Norwich city centre.
Barn Conversions
Barn conversions became popular in the 1970s and 80s. After this, stricter planning laws were brought in to ensure the original aesthetics of buildings were not lost. They are more likely these days to be open plan than segregated into multiple rooms.
Barn conversions are common across rural areas of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex as farmers sought to diversify income streams as farming became less profitable. Many opted to convert old or unused agricultural buildings into properties such as holiday cottages which could either be let or sold.
Modern Developments
The first wave of what we would now call housing estates came just after the 2nd World War when families were moved out of London to the GLC Overspill areas in Haverhill, Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds and Thetford. This was because of poor quality housing in the capital (as a result of bombings and old and inadequate cramped housing) and problems with overpopulation.
Homebuilding has continued apace throughout the decades since, largely with brick homes, although the construction industry has been affected by recessions, planning regulations and more recently the coronavirus pandemic.
The most modern developments in the region include the town and city centre apartments found on the Waterfront in Ipswich and the Riverside in Norwich.
Hamiltons Removals – One of the Leading East Anglia Removal Companies
Whichever type of home you are interested in, Hamiltons can help get you there. Our local knowledge comes in particularly handy if you are interested in removals to Norfolk or Suffolk.
Our services include free online removal quotes, that are followed by a more comprehensive one which can either be done as an in-person visit or a video survey. We can even do all your packing for you so you have more time and energy to concentrate on the move itself and the paperwork.
To learn more about how we can help you move, click here
Why Moving to East Anglia is ideal for Art-Lovers
East Anglia is renowned for its artistic heritage and this is a big attraction for anyone keen to more here. Here Hamiltons Removals, who are one of the leading Ipswich removal companies, put the spotlight on some of the more famous and influential painters and sculptors who in many cases drew inspiration from the countryside around them.
Thomas Gainsborough
Gainsborough (1727-88) is one of the most famous names in English art history. Although he made his living painting portraits, landscapes – and particularly those which depicted the countryside in and around his home town of Sudbury – were his first love.
His famous landscapes include Cornard Wood, near Sudbury, Suffolk; Landscape in Suffolk; and Holywells Park, Ipswich. If you want to know more about him visit the Gainsborough’s House Museum in Sudbury (although it is currently closed for redevelopment and is due to reopen later this year).
John Constable
Another of the big names in England’s artistic pantheon, Constable (1776-1837) was born in East Bergholt, just a few miles up the River Stour from Sudbury. He spent his early years exploring the surrounding countryside close to the Suffolk/Essex border – and which is now affectionately known as ‘Constable Country’.
His major works include The Hay Wain (which includes the Stour and Willy Lott’s Cottage), while his other masterpieces include Flatford Mill, Dedham Vale and Wivenhoe Park (above). As well as visiting the area, you can also see some of his works at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich which is home to the largest single collection of his paintings outside London.
Alfred Munnings
He is best known for his pictures of horses, although he did paint portraits and landscapes too. Born in 1878 in Mendham, near Harleston – close to the Norfolk/Suffolk border – he had links all over the region. He attended Framlingham College, was apprenticed to a Norwich printer and later lived at Castle House at Dedham in Essex.
This final location, in the heart of Constable Country, is home to the Munnings Art Museum which displays many of his works and is due to reopen in April.
Edward Seago
One of the leading landscape artists of the 20th century, Seago travelled widely but his heart was always in Norfolk. He was born in Norfolk in 1910 and had strong Royal connections – he is said to have encouraged the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles to paint, and the Queen has a number of his works. He also created a solid silver sculpture of St George slaying the Dragon which serves as an automobile mascot for any state limousine in which the monarch is travelling.
When he died in 1974, a third of the paintings in his studio were destroyed in line with his wishes. The best place to see his work is at the Portland Gallery in London.
Carl Giles
A cartoonist rather than a painter, Carl Giles is usually referred to by just his surname. His cartoons were a mainstay of the Daily Express and Sunday Express newspapers for almost half a century and they depicted the everyday trials and tribulations of a typical British family. Often the drawing and caption referred to a topical event of the day.
Although originally from London, he moved to Witnesham, near Ipswich, in the 1940s after marrying his cousin Sylvia. Those wanting to know more about him should buy one of the many Giles annuals which came out for almost half a century or check out the statue of ‘Grandma’ in Ipswich town centre. (His personal collection was donated to the British Cartoon Archive in 2005).
Grayson Perry
Born in Chelmsford, Essex, in 1960, this Turner Prize-winning artist is well known for his tapestries, ceramic vases and cross-dressing. He regularly appears on TV hosting arts documentaries.
He celebrated his home county with his unique creation, A House for Essex, at Wrabness. The house is an artwork in its own right and also contains a number of works by Perry, exploring the life of fictional character Julie Cope. (Although it’s open to the public there are currently no slots available). His other works are held in collections in London and worldwide.
Maggi Hambling
Like Gainsborough, Maggi Hambling was born in Sudbury. Her paintings include several intricate land and seascapes with the North Sea one of her favourite subjects. However, it is for her sculptures that she is arguably better known; she was commissioned to create memorials for dramatist Oscar Wilde, composer Benjamin Britten and feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft.
All three have proved highly controversial (the second piece, entitled Scallop, can be found on the beach at Aldeburgh). Some of her portrait paintings are also on display at The National Portrait Gallery in London.
Moving to East Anglia with Hamiltons Removals
If you are interested in moving to East Anglia, then Hamiltons Removals can help – as one of the leading Ipswich removal companies, our expert knowledge extends to Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and all parts of East Anglia. To get in touch, follow this link and fill in the online form or call us on 01379 855203.