An Annisquam Village renovated Antique Cape,
steps from the water and with room for the whole family.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in one of LandVest’s properties? We invite our owners to tell us a bit about their experience, what they love about their homes and a bit of their history. The owner of 17 Chester Square shares how she discovered her lovely Annisquam Village home, and how with a house like this, you don’t lack for memories – or visitors.
It was a cold November day in 2006 when I first visited 17 Chester Square. I’d never been to Annisquam before and I was early for the appointment, so I took a quick walk up Walnut Street to the pasture at Squam Rock Land Trust. As I crested the hill, the view took my breath away: the Annisquam River, Coffin’s Beach, Crane Beach, the lighthouse. I plunked down on the stone bench and decided right then and there to buy the house if it had running water. (Of course, it had so much more!)
Six bedrooms?! Way too big for just my daughter and me. But I come from a big family and I knew they all would visit, and so they did — sometimes for the whole summer. Old friends came from near and far. New friends came for the hullabaloo, and returned again and again. When you live in a house near the ocean that has plenty of room, you don’t lack for visitors.
Quieter times in fall and winter after a walk around the Village, we nestled in the library with a fire in the fireplace and plenty of good books. For big holiday feasts and parties, sometimes for 20+, we lit a blazing fire in the porch fireplace, rolled up the rugs and danced. It’s a comfortable, spacious home that is also cozy.
Like most Annisquam homes, this one has a story. The original house was built in the early 1800’s by a member of the Lane family. It was then the Wallis family, who lived there for years, who renovated and expanded the house dramatically, including adding the 2-car garage topped by the “green” roof.
When it comes to a favorite room, it is too hard to choose just one. Lighting the candles on the mantel in the master bathroom before settling in for an ultra-private long soak in the claw-foot tub? Warming up in the sauna after a brisk ramble around Annisquam? Thanksgiving dinner for 20+ in the dining room and living room? Reclining on the couch with a good book in front of the fire? There is no lack of special spots in this home. It’s a beautiful, well-built, and well-maintained home in a relatively private setting, just steps away from Lobster Cover and Lighthouse beach. The layout is perfect for a multi-generational family or large crowd, with plenty of places to sit, both inside and out. It also feels cozy for two. The doors are rarely locked, and there is plenty of parking (a rarity in Annisquam!)
Once I moved to Annisquam, there is no reason to ever leave. As for us, we haven’t moved far. A few years back, we purchased Gabrielle Vawter’s house next door and, having completed the necessary renovations, now live there full-time.
-JKB
For more information about 17 Chester Square or other properties on the North Shore, please contact Hannah at HBarker@landvest.com or Sophie at ssoman@landvest.com
