Summary

Waterside summerhouse, probably built in the mid-1930s.

Description

Waterside summerhouse, probably built in the mid-1930s.

MATERIALS: The walls are constructed of red brick, and the roof is thatched with Norfolk reed.

EXTERIOR: The single-storey octagonal-plan summerhouse has red brick walls laid in Flemish bond. The roof is thatched with Norfolk reed and has an ornamental ridge to the apex; comparison with historic photos indicates the current goose weathervane replaced that of a ship with three sails in the late C20. Each elevation of the octagonal-plan summerhouse bears two wrought-iron brackets which supported a gutter (no longer present); a hopper survives on the west wall. The south, south-east, north-east and north elevations each have a four-centred pointed-arch window surround with Y-tracery of moulded red brick, a pair of leaded lights and a slanted brick sill. The east elevation has a four-centred pointed-arch door surround with chamfered reveals containing double glazed doors with leaded lights. Three canted, red brick planters were added to the south-west, west and north-west sides in the mid-C20, though only the north-west planter survives.

INTERIOR: The interior is open and has exposed painted beams to the roof and a floor covering of octagonal tiles. The vertical-pivot windows retain their original window furniture.

History

The summer house 160m south of Burefield is part of the property of Burefield (NHLE 1494727). It dates from the period in the 1930s when the main house was extended and other ancillary service and garden buildings were erected in a picturesque style. Although undated it is no later than 1938 when it was surveyed for the Ordnance Survey map published in 1941.

For a more detailed history of Burefield see NHLE 1494727.

Reasons for Listing

The summerhouse 160m south of Burefield is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* as a distinctive estate building, developing on the cottage orné style favoured for the earlier buildings at Burefield and the waterside chalets in the northern Broads;
* for the architectural quality of this small structure, and the high proportion of survival of original joinery and fixtures;
* for its strong vernacular quality and craftsmanship, employing locally sourced Norfolk reed and moulded brick.

Historic interest:
* as evidence of the evolving social, ecological, sporting and recreational history of the Broads in the late C19 and C20, and the increased demand for a quieter life in the countryside during the C20.

Group value:
* for the historic and functional group it forms with Burefield, a holiday cottage built around 1911 and extended as a family home in the mid-1930s, and its numerous estate buildings including a barn, moon gate and garden wall, tractor shed and apple store, car garage, tennis court, machinery shed and boat shed 65m south of the house, each listed at Grade II.

Recommended Books

• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version