Fed up with commuting? You could buy this 13-bedroom Edwardian B&B in Norfolk for £950,000

With the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on jobs and lifestyles, many are thinking of a change in how they live and work. If you have a spacious home, one option is to make it earn its keep by using it as a bed and breakfast.

With quarantine restrictions, holidaying abroad is being increasingly compromised, so bookings for breaks in the UK are likely to become more popular. 

One B&B owner who is already finding this is Jan Edwards, who, despite the upsurge in demand, is now selling the 13-bedroom house in the Norfolk seaside town of Sheringham where she and her husband Richard welcome guests.

‘We don’t have an empty spot in the diary until about the middle of October,’ she says.

The globetrotting couple, who have worked in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, are now looking to France for their next adventure. But Jan and Richard have made the most out of their decade in Sheringham, building a successful business.

Their house is Edwardian and they have tapped into that era’s love of end-of-pier shows by calling it Burlington Berties, after the music-hall song, as at one time, the house was called Burlington Lodge. The name is part of a running theme, as the couple’s previous B&B, also in Sheringham, was named Hooray Henrys.

‘Sheringham is a fabulous little town,’ says Jan.

‘Burlington Berties is about 100 yards from the beach, so we’ve got sea views from most of the first and second floors. You can be on the beach in two minutes or walk into town to a restaurant or pub. 

‘From June to September is the busiest. There is a 1940s weekend in September and it’s huge – the whole town looks like it’s back in that era. We’ve been booked two years in advance for that.

‘I would say probably 50 per cent of the customers here are repeat business, because once they find somewhere that they like, they come back. We’ve got nine guest rooms at the moment but you could have more. 

And you could do dinner in the evenings or afternoon teas. We’ve had weddings here in the garden, which gets the sun nearly all day. And it’s nice and private so the guests can get out there and just enjoy it.’

Burlington Berties has more than 6,000 sq ft of accommodation, which could be used in different ways.

‘You could split it up into self-catering units but still maintain the private accommodation,’ Jan says. ‘We’ve got a huge lounge and kitchen, and our own private outside areas. You can live completely separately from the hotel, but still be at the hotel. Or it would be a beautiful residential home for an extended family.’

Burlington Berties has 11 bathrooms and five lounges.

Jan wouldn’t discourage anyone from sampling life the B&B way. ‘Covid has made us all take a big, deep breath and analyse life and look at what we want – people who have very busy lives, with crazy commutes, especially.’ 

She says that with a B&B, ‘you probably work a bit harder, but it’s very satisfying and it’s a lovely lifestyle’.