Shepherd's House
A fabulous four-bedroom farmhouse and courtyard conversion, set in a historic hamlet amid Hadrian’s Wall Country.
Blending the old and characterful with the new and contemporary, Shepherd’s House represents renovation at its best: sympathetic, improving and ingenious. Giving this former farm building a thoroughly modern makeover, architects have cleverly built a superb curving glass-fronted extension to the side of this once rustic farmhouse – recognised as the Northern Regional winner of the Building Excellence Awards in 2023. Framed by the same characterful brown stone as the original abode, it houses a unique, light-filled, kitchen-dining room that opens out onto a raised patio and benefits from far-reaching views across open countryside towards Aydon Castle.
Inside, oh-so-spacious interiors are finished to equally high standards. Here again the old meets new, with choice antique pieces of furniture and homely country-style curtains sitting alongside fabrics by A-List designers like Zoffany or Nina Campbell and glossy resin tables underneath chunky and rustic overhanging rafters.
A multi-level property, Shepherd’s House’s elegant ground floor contains a separate drawing room with a warming wood-burning stove set into the red-brick fireplace, and a games den complete with a proper pool table extension.
The upper ground floor extends into an open-plan contemporary living space. Benefitting from oodles of natural light, the stylish extension hub incorporates dining (seating eight), the kitchen – its cabinetry coloured a fresh Nordic blue – and a separate seating area. Four separate doors lead out to the raised patio with bench seating.
The new extension extends to two ground-floor, en-suite bedrooms (a twin and a king-sized master suite). These rooms are particularly handy for guests of restricted mobility as they boast spacious en-suite – and level – wet-room showers. The master bedroom, meanwhile, has several floor-to-ceiling windows that lead onto the larger, rear patio and benefit from more superb, bucolic views. Upstairs on the first floor, another pair of extremely comfortable en-suite sleeping quarters (a super-king and a cheerful twin) await.
The heating throughout the property is classed as renewable energy, fed by an efficient air source heat pump system, with PV solar panels used to supply the electricity.
To best suit families or groups of friends, the house is set in generous grounds. These connect that rear patio and its al-fresco dining area with a sheltered courtyard garden. Both afford yet more magnificent, uninterrupted views, this time over a lake and parkland, over the Tyne Valley and as far as the North Pennine Moors. Available to you too is a charming stone loggia – an open-sided room suiting relaxation, reading or meditation – and a large, secure barn space where outdoor kit or bicycles can be securely stored or dried.
The Hadrian’s Wall Path passes only a mile to the north, with the remains of Corbridge, a garrison town built to support it, just a seven-minute drive south. Halton, the local hamlet, has a lovely stone church and defensive, medieval pele tower. Open to visitors, Aydon Castle is one of Britain’s most evocative fortified manor houses. In the local area too are a pick-your-own fruit farm, a Go Ape site and Hexham’s atmospheric, 14th-century gaol.
Property Layout
GROUND FLOOR
Large access hall leading to:
Drawing room with a three-seater sofa, two-seater sofa, three armchairs, window seat, wood burning stove (logs supplied), Smart TV, bureau desk, cottage door to the garden.
Games room with pool table.
From the main access hall:
Cloakroom with WC and basin.
Six steps up from the hall leads into an upper-level open-plan living space comprising:
Dining table with seating for eight.
Kitchen with island unit and granite work surfaces.Large fridge/freezer (three drawer freezer), double sink, five burner electric hob, double oven, microwave, wine cooler. The kitchen island has a separate sink and full-size dishwasher. Three doors lead out to a raised patio to the front aspect of the property. A separate door from the kitchen leads onto a large rear patio with garden furniture.
The kitchen extends into a sitting room space with a large sofa, armchair and wall-mounted Smart TV.
A hallway from the kitchen leads to:
Pantry with plenty of extra cupboard storage space, door to the rear of the property. This room has an additional fridge/freezer.
Utility room with sink, washer/dryer, bench seat and hanging rail.
Bedroom one - master suite with fixed super king bed, side tables, dressing table, chest of drawers, single wardrobe. This room benefits from three large windows with extensive views across open countryside. A door leads directly onto the rear patio area.
En suite bathroom - this is a large level access, walk-in wet room shower which may be suitable for guests with restricted mobility and wheelchair users - please contact us to discuss individual requirements. The shower has a rainforest head and separate mixer, separate roll top bath, heated towel rail, basin and WC.
Bedroom two with zip and link beds which can be super king double or twins as required with side tables, small chest of drawers, rail with hangers.
En suite bathroom with level access, walk-in wet room shower (rainforest head and separate mixer) heated towel rail, basin and WC.
FIRST FLOOR
The first floor is accessed from the main hall. Six steps to the first upper-level hall (leading to the kitchen). There are a further four steps with a single turn, and a further four steps leading to two additional en suite bedrooms.
Bedroom three with fixed super king bed, side tables, chest of drawers, dressing table, open hanging rail, open storage space.
En suite bathroom with bath, double basin, heated towel rail, WC.
Bedroom four with zip and link beds which can be super king double or twins as required with side tables, chest of drawers, in-built wardrobe with storage and hanging space.
En suite bathroom with walk-in shower (rainforest head and separate mixer) heated towel rail, basin and WC.
Two of the bedrooms are set up as twins as standard. It may be possible for the twin rooms to be set-up as super king, but on request only and with advance notice. Please note that it may not be possible to accommodate guest requests, determined by timeframe and housekeeping arrangements.
OUTSIDE
There is a raised patio to the front of the property with bench seat, leading down to a large lawn garden. There is a small herb garden here and guests are very welcome to use this during the growing season. To the rear of the property is a large courtyard patio with outdoor table and seating for eight. The rear patio leads into a loggia (covered seating area with an open side). A separate large secure outbuilding has ample space for bikes, golf clubs and outdoor kit. This has a sink with hot and cold running tap. A door leads directly onto the rear parking area.
There is private parking for two to three cars on the gravelled driveway to the front of the property. Alternatively, there is ample private parking on the gravelled courtyard to the rear.
Location
The popular tourist village of Corbridge is just three miles away and offers a variety of shops, a delicatessen, and one or two restaurants and cafés.
Nearby Matfen Hall (5 miles) offers excellent spa and leisure facilities, delicious homemade afternoon tea and also fine or casual dining. In Matfen village, you can find a village store and café, which is handy for breakfast, a light lunch or a good cup of coffee with a scone or cake. Fire and Dough Pizza offers artisan wood-fired pizza cooked to order from a mobile van, which visits Matfen village on Wednesdays from 5pm.
Dine in the comforts of your beautiful holiday home and have Burnside Catering do the cooking; whether you would like a homely supper on the day of your arrival, a spoiling dinner party or relaxing Sunday lunch, Danny and Bella can do it all.
The Hexham Farmers' Market (6 miles) takes place on the second and fourth Saturday of every month with a vast array of local producers offering plenty of choice for all.
Hexham has numerous cafés throughout the town centre, offering a wide range of lunch options or simply a coffee and cake stop. A variety of pubs and restaurants offer international cuisine from Mexican to Greek, as well as Indian, Chinese, Italian, and award-winning French bistro, Bouchon Bistrot. There is also a Waitrose and large Tesco in Hexham.
Amenities
- Allows babies in armsUp to 12 months.
- Allows children1 - 16 years.
- Bath
- CotA travel cot is available on request. Travel cot bedding is not supplied.
- Dog friendlyTwo dogs are welcome (£30 fee per dog). There is an outside tap for cleaning. Dogs must be kept to the hard flooring areas of the property, they are not permitted on the furniture or in the bedrooms. The garden is enclosed when the main access gate is closed. It is important to note that the area around the house is farmland and it is essential that dogs are well controlled and kept on leads to ensure they do not present any hazard to livestock.
- Games room
- HairdryerA hairdryer is provided in each bedroom.
- HeatingHeating throughout the property, fed by an efficient air source heat pump system which is more environmentally friendly than oil and classed as renewable technology. PV solar panels are used to supply the electricity. The property is well insulated throughout. Underfloor heating through the main hard floor areas of the property. The bathrooms all benefit from underfloor heating. There is a wood burner in the drawing room.
- Highchair
- Linen & towels provided
- Open fire/ Woodburning stoveLogs supplied.
- Outside space
- Snooker/Pool table
- Wi-FiWi-Fi is available. Download speed is approximately 30MB with 5MB upload. Mobile reception is generally good.
All Amenities
Important Information
Shepherd's House is detached and sits in its own enclosed garden. The patio area to the rear is completely private with no overlooking. The property benefits from far-reaching views across open countryside to Aydon Castle. There is a detached cottage to the front right of the Shepherd's House. There are many public footpaths around this area for walking and a public Right of Way sits a few hundred yards from the property.
For safety reasons, we do not permit electric vehicle or hybrid car charging at this property. If you’re travelling by EV, discover your nearest electric vehicle charging point here.
Arrival time: 4pm
Departure time: 10am
Accessibility
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