Discover the story behind the ballroom...
The main house dates back to 1924 and rumour has it, during this time there were three women of consequence who lived in Blakeney, all trying to ‘out do’ each other….. the lady that owned Whitefriars built The Ballroom in 1926 as a substantial wing linked to the main house.
It is understood that in 1939, the main house of Whitefriars was purchased and used by the war office during WWII. In 1947 it appeared on the market again and then after it was divided into five flats with The Ballroom as the sixth, though not yet converted. Copies of documents show a history of Whitefriars being sold in 1950, and again in 1966. We are lead to believe it was after this when The Ballroom was converted into its own private residence, whilst the main house was divided into 3 separate properties. The Ballroom had various additions over the years and became the much loved holiday home for its previous owners of 22 years who had a passion for sailing.
In 2019 when we were fortunate to become owners of this beautiful historic property, we had to think long and hard as to how we could sensitively enhance, modernise and wake up this grand old soul. Ali and her husband rolled their sleeves up and set to, with Ali as the developer, designer and builders labourer!
The property needed careful renovation, and in case you hadn’t realised, it’s all about the view at The Ballroom, so it became essential to maximise the main living spaces in these areas.
There was scope to extend and optimise space, creating a spacious open plan kitchen dining room, add two extra bedrooms, double the size of the master bedroom and give all five bedrooms their own luxury bathroom. The original ballroom ran from front to back of the property and these areas still have the original parquet dance floor, which was carefully renovated and brought back to life.
The property was essentially gutted and skillfully put back together again. Enhancing historical features, maximising the views, modernising to 21st century living, and adding a great bundle of luxury and love. We truly love The Ballroom and hope that your time spent at it is very special. Whether its celebrating a gathering of friends or family members of all ages, relaxing, healing, energising or just creating memories, ENJOY your stay.
A labour of love
... and a love of labour
Meet the powerhouse behind it all......
.
Ali trained and worked as a fashion designer for many years, combining product development, manufacturing and design skills until 2013 when a career change and opportunity to transfer these skills into property development, renovation, and interior design.
With a wealth of design experience, Ali works closely with architects and talented tradesmen to ensure the highest standards are consistently met, and this was particularly paramount with The Ballroom project.