JJ’s Country Pursuits by Jamie Jamieson, a private buying consultant for Bidwells in Norwich
In 1665, the black rat spread the Bubonic Plague and death through the streets of London. Three and a half centuries later, the rat (although brown this time) is back in London and it is said that Londoners are never more than six feet from a rat, and they are occasionally seen scurrying along the London Underground’s rail lines or ripping open black plastic bin bags before the early-morning rubbish collectors arrive.
This information would be all it would take to get me to consider a move to Norfolk if I still lived in the City, for I hate those wretched things – however, even in the depths of tranquil East Anglia, these furry vermin can appear! Some friends who bought a watermill a few years back had asked the previous owners if they had encountered many rats near the property and were assured there were none to be found. On an impromptu second visit to the mill they came across the pest control man setting a number of rat traps!
Other friends who keep chickens or have pigs on fields nearby also often report sightings of “rats the size of small cats” staring malevolently at them in the garden. My theory is simply not to worry – numerous bait traps in appropriate places and those furry critters will soon disappear!
As I have previously mentioned, a mill must be a wonderful place to live in – the therapeutic sound of water surrounding you – but few come on the market. I am happy to say I have several clients all looking for houses in Norfolk but there are few properties for sale – I think many people are still anxious about selling in what some believe to be the bottom of the market, but I do believe the economy is recovering and house prices are improving – there certainly seems to be a lack of property over the £1 million price bracket, even more so north of the A47.
*You can contact Jamie Jamieson on 07717 311377
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