THE FLINT HOUSE

On a remote stretch of the Norfolk coast, Vicky White and her husband Chris Ling have turned a neglected period cottage into a stunning retreat

- ANNA PATTENDEN

Vicky White and Chris Ling have a longstanding affinity with north Norfolk – it’s where they got engaged and where they’ve spent many holidays and weekends with family. So when they decided to buy a holiday home, there was no debate about where to look. Finding a suitable property proved to be much harder than anticipated, however. After two purchases fell through, Vicky widened their search area, which was when Eden Hall Cottage popped up. On the north eastern shoreline, its location wasn’t known to the couple. But, one wet grey day in November 2016, they decided to view the house.

‘It was horrendous,’ says Vicky. ‘It was rundown and neglected, there was rubbish everywhere and evidence of mice and rats. I didn’t want to touch anything to start with, but the longer we spent in the house, the more I felt it had good bones.’ The couple could see there were plenty of original features, such as the brick fireplace, crying out to be restored to their former glory. But what really impressed Vicky was the size of the property. ‘It doesn’t look that big from outside but once inside the door, it’s huge,’ she says. After a walk on the local beach at Bacton, they were hooked on the area, too.