Historic home in peak condition
Mark Nicholls visits the house where Sir Edmund Hillary stayed after conquering Mount Everest
Set slightly back from one of the main arteries into the city of Norwich is a large Edwardian home with a pleasant and spacious garden. Etched onto the glass panel above the doorway are the words Hillary House. It is perhaps the only overt clue as to how 60 years ago, this relatively anonymous property found a place in British and Commonwealth history. At the time, the nation was preparing for the coronation of Elizabeth II. But within this four-bedroom semi at 467 Earlham Road, New Zealand-born June Carlile, her husband Dr James Carlile and their young family were anxiously awaiting news of her brother Edmund Hillary’s attempt on the 29,035ft peak of Mount Everest. The news that Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay had become the first men to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain at 11.30am on May 29 1953 was announced to the nation four days later, on the morning of the coronation ceremony. But once the celebrations were over and Hillary had descended with the Britishled expedition team, he needed a quiet retreat a world away from the treacherous, icy summit of Everest. Heroes of the day seemingly weren’t concerned about exclusive hideaways or lying on sun-drenched beaches; thus, Sir Edmund descended on 467 Earlham Road in early July 1953 for a good old-fashioned rest. Today, the house which shielded the world’s greatest adventurer of the time is owned by Guy Spurrell, who lives there with a couple of tenants. But in the summer of 1953, it was not only home to a family but also accommodated the surgery of Dr Carlile, a local GP. A grand property with Dutch gable ends and bay windows, it features spacious reception rooms, a lounge, kitchen and breakfast room, plus a large garden. Self-employed builder Mr Spurrell, who was unaware of the house’s unique link with mountaineering history when he moved in 15 years ago, has restored parts to its Edwardian past. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve learnt quite a lot about the link with Sir Edmund Hillary and his relatives have been back to see the house,” he says. “The garden has changed over the years; it would have had a row of espalier apple and pear trees and there was originally an orchard at the bottom of the garden when Sir Edmund stayed. But the house has a great history and character and I love living here.” During Sir Edmund’s sojourn, curious neighbours If you love the mountains and climbing, there are a range of properties close to that type of terrain with great views: Properties offered by MacArthur Stewart at Fort William in the west of Scotland range from: Treetops at Badabrie, a five-bedroom property over three levels with a and their children would wander by for a glimpse of the great mountaineer and there was a lot of media interest. But before long Sir Edmund was able to settle in, relax and feel at home for a few weeks and in his own words “do little more than eat, sleep and enjoy a little privacy”, with a degree of careful planning from his hosts, as his niece Hilary recalls. She was three at the time, living at the house with her brother Richard, father and mother who was pregnant with the couple’s third child Alistair. “What I remember is the buzz of having Uncle Ed with us. It was a busy time,” she says. “There were always people at the door, the media wanting to talk to him. Some even hid in the front garden to try and get the picture of him.” Her parents had foreseen granny flat, has unbroken views over the Great Glen toward Glen Nevis and Ben Nevis, for £550,000; the four-bedroom Springbank at Roy Bridge with views over the Grey Corrie Mountains at £299,000; and a three-bedroom home in Kinlochleven at the head of Loch Leven on the West Highland Way walking route for £100,000. MacArthur Stewart (01397 702455). Meanwhile in Wales, James Properties in Caernarfon offers a two-bedroom detached bungalow with magnificent views over the Menai Strait and close to the mountains at Llanfaglan for £320,000; a five-bed, three-storey Victorian house at Carmel for £129,995; or you can buy the Snowdon Inn on Llanberis Road, Cwm y Glo, with a four-bedroom flat with mountain views in 11 acres of land on the edge of Snowdonia National Park, with fishing rights to the river for £399,995. James Properties (01286 671886). Top of the world: Sir Edmund Hillary, left, with Tenzing Norgay, visited his sister at 467 Earlham Road, Norwich, below, after scaling Everest this and made plans to help protect the celebrated climber from prying eyes, including arranging for him to sleep two doors down at 471, the home of Mrs Limmer. A popular local rumour suggested Mrs Limmer was so proud of hosting the man who conquered Everest that she once put up a plaque which read: “Edmund Hillary slept here.” “It was a clever plan,” says Hilary, “as he could come over the fences to get into the back of the house without being seen by people at the front door. We thought that was a lot of fun as suddenly he would come rushing into the playroom.” In the months that followed, Sir Edmund – who was knighted soon after the coronation – returned regularly to his sister’s home and over Christmas 1953 famously broadcast the Commonwealth’s Christmas greeting to the Queen, who was in Australia at the time, from the front room. “I can remember the lounge which was always used for great Christmas celebrations, being out of bounds for us children, and there were lots of people milling around,” recalls Hilary. “So we rushed to the back of the house and on the way went to play in our favourite hidey-place under the stairs. We pulled open the door and to our surprise there was a man crouching there fiddling with machines. You can imagine our noisy reaction was not appreciated!” Dr Carlile died in 1976 and June, who was a psychologist at one of the Norwich hospitals, returned to New Zealand in the Nineties. Now, 95, she lives in Auckland near Hilary, who remains active in the Himalayan Trust (himalayantrust.co.uk), the charity Sir Edmund established after his Everest conquest to develop projects in Nepal building schools, clinics and bridges, as a vow he made to Tenzing for help in getting him to the top of Everest. Today, 467 Earlham Road remains a discreet property, yet one with a fascinating story to tell.