Attleborough home is best in Britain

It is a statement that many Norfolk homeowners and property tycoons would love to say.But Amanda Barrington can officially declare 'I Own Britain's Best Home' after winning a public vote to find the country's finest and most iconic residence.

It is a statement that many Norfolk homeowners and property tycoons would love to say.

But Amanda Barrington can officially declare 'I Own Britain's Best Home' after winning a public vote to find the country's finest and most iconic residence.

The former London recruitment executive is celebrating after her luxury eco-home near Attleborough won the Channel Five competition and �20,000 for charity.

The top accolade comes after the Norfolk born and bred woman spent eight years creating her contemporary country residence on the Hargham Estate.

But despite living in 'Britain's best home', the property developer is still looking to sell Woods End, which was placed on the market with a �2m price tag two years ago.

Miss Barrington, who spent 20 years running a recruitment business in the capital before starting the project, said it was a 'shock' and a 'privilege' to win the televised competition, which would help benefit a dog rescue centre in Yorkshire, a monastery in Wales, and the Carmelite Monastery at Quidenham, near Attleborough.

The property was one of 24 to be picked as contenders for I Own Britain's Best Home 2009 and was announced as the victor on Channel Five on Thursday night .

Miss Barrington said she thought her development's green credentials helped get the votes.

'I was shocked and speechless and it was one of the most joyous days of my life. It is not your normal traditional home and I was not sure how the public would perceive it. I have dedicated every single waking minute of the last eight years of my life to it. I was just elated to be recognised for my work,' she said.

It took 18 months to find the perfect riverside location and get planning permission to create the environmentally friendly house on the site of three derelict cottages and the construction project took more than two years.

Set in two acres of woodland, the building is made from Douglas Fir timber and is clad with redwood cedar. Its curved roof lines with flowering sedum and organic materials are married together with an open plan design and hi-spec furnishings to create a modern living space with four bedrooms split over three levels.

The property only costs �500 a year to heat and has also been featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs programme and recently won a CPRE Norfolk award.

Miss Barrington added that she would be looking to take on another big building project in Norfolk when she sells Woods End.

'I built it to sell it and I wanted to create an iconic building that I could hand over to a really special person who will also love it. It will be an iconic building in our children's and grandchildren's time,' she said.

For more information, visit www.woodsendnorfolk.co.uk.