You can often get a feel for a house just from the approach; not so much judging the book by its cover, but by the bag you're carrying it around in.
A small stone path leading through a pocket front garden lends itself nicely to a Cotswold cottage, where flagstone flooring and imposing beams greet you internally. On the other hand, a sweeping private driveway lined with mature trees instantly sets the scene for a historic country house in a parkland setting.
Westgate Manor, then, at first glance, is something of a ‘Goldilocks’ house: not too big and not too small, with an inviting, comfortable approach which gives off a spacious but unassuming air.
Ideal for a Durham or Newcastle commute, this mid-Victorian manor house in the village of Westgate, a few miles west of Stanhope, has been carefully renovated and extended over the years by the current owners. It finds itself currently on the market via Finest Properties for offers over £1 million.
With six bedrooms, four of which are en-suite and two of which have Jack & Jill bathrooms, including one on the ground floor, the property has been run as a B&B and restaurant — you might have guessed that from the multiple tables and chairs here and there — but can just as easily be set up as a family home.
Inside, the entrance hallway gives way to the family style kitchen, where a midnight blue Rayburn sits under an exposed stone Inglenook archway and a walkway leads through to a pantry.
On the other side of the hallway is a spacious breakfast room/library — yes, library:
That space leads into an orangery, whilst the drawing room opens into a spacious garden room with wood-burning stove and flagstone flooring. Completing the ground floor accommodation is a utility room, en-suite bedroom and another smaller room. The latter would be ideal as a home office or study, but here, much to our pleasure, it's the house's own bar.
Manicured wrap-around gardens frame the house and you can soak up the serene atmosphere from a choice of outdoor seating; from the summer house, ornate gazebo or the gravelled terrace which leads on from the orangery.
The popular village of Westgate lies in the Weardale Valley and is surrounded by the moorland of the North Pennines AONB. Westgate is home to a traditional pub, village hall and church, and lends itself as the ideal location for those wanting to explore the surrounding moorland, fell and riverside scenery.
The nearby market town of Stanhope, located along the C2C cycle route, is home to the ‘fossil tree’, thought to be 320 million years old and 18th Century Stanhope Castle. Here you’ll find a full range of day-to-day amenities and facilities, including medical and dental surgeries, supermarkets and an art gallery. Head to the award-winning tearoom at Durham Dales centre or visit the open-air swimming pool in the warmer months.
Schooling wise, there’s a good range of primary and secondary options within the local and wider area, including St John’s Chapel Primary School, Wearhead Primary School, Rookhope Primary School, Barnard Castle School, Durham Cathedral Schools and Wolsingham School.
Westgate Manor is currently on the market via Finest Properties for offers over £1 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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