Shirburn Mill is a remarkable property, in the Dedham Vale on a site which was mentioned in the Domesday Book.

East Anglian Daily Times: Shirburn Mill, with the Mill House and the mill for restoration, is for sale with Grier & Partners. Picture: FLIGHT MEDIA SURVEYSShirburn Mill, with the Mill House and the mill for restoration, is for sale with Grier & Partners. Picture: FLIGHT MEDIA SURVEYS (Image: Flight Media Surveys)

It has a beautiful, romantic tree-lined setting in rolling countryside close to Lawford, Essex

Now it offers a purchaser with a unique opportunity to acquire a Georgian home together with its historic mill, ponds and land for a rather special project.

Shirburn Mill House comes with planning permission in place for a sympathetic extension to be added, and for a new house to be built nearby on the site, all linked to the renovation and restoration of the original working mill, which would provide additional annexe accommodation.

The whole is set in about ten acres of attractive land.

East Anglian Daily Times: Shirburn Mill, with the Mill House and the mill for restoration, is for sale with Grier & Partners. Picture: FLIGHT MEDIA SURVEYSShirburn Mill, with the Mill House and the mill for restoration, is for sale with Grier & Partners. Picture: FLIGHT MEDIA SURVEYS (Image: Flight Media Surveys)

It is a very lovely setting, said Aidan Grier of agents Grier and Partners.

"It is absolutely fabulous.

"It gives a fantastic opportunity for the new owner to carry out the plans that have been put in place for restoration and refurbishment work and also to build a new house as part of the wider vision for the site, which has been approved."

The detailed plans by Roger Balmer Designs of Long Melford include saving the historic mill itself, and bringing it into use as extra accommodation rather than a working mill,

East Anglian Daily Times: Shirburn Mill House, Lawford. Picture: AIDAN GRIERShirburn Mill House, Lawford. Picture: AIDAN GRIER (Image: Archant)

There are still two mill ponds here and there were once two watermills. One of these was converted to steam and later demolished.

Both were "overshot" mills, unusual for East Anglia, with the mill ponds fed by water from a natural stream.

The ponds feed into Shirburn which is a tributary of the River Stour, eventually leading to the estuary.

Shirburn Mill is now in need of repair and restoration to secure its future.

East Anglian Daily Times: Historic Shirburn Mill is now in need of restoration. Picture: AIDAN GRIERHistoric Shirburn Mill is now in need of restoration. Picture: AIDAN GRIER (Image: Archant)

It was built between 1800 and 1806, timber-framed and weather-boarded over brick foundations.

It is on the edge of the Shir Valley which is a steep-sided glacial feature.

The mill is a four storey timber building, with an attached workshop.

On the ground floor level there are still millstones in place, clearly marked and linking them with W. Tinsley stoneworks in Ipswich.

It no longer has a water wheel.

The present mill house sits in an elevated setting, overlooking The Mill and is approached by a private driveway from the road to an imposing front portico entrance.

There is extensive accommodation including five bedrooms and a kitchen which opens onto a sunny south-facing terrace.

The property is a blend of several styles from the early 19th Century onwards, including early brickwork and timber frame elements under a hipped slate roof.

The window are a mixture of sliding sash windows and double glazed units and there are stripped floors and other original character elements.

The bedrooms have views over the grounds and woodland and the mill pond.

Permission has been granted for an extension to the rear of the house.

Planning has also been granted to build an independent four bedroom detached property in the grounds, conditional on improvements to the mill itself.

Full details of the plans are available from the agents.

This property is on sale with Grier & Partners with a guide price of £1.3m.