Some people dream of moving out of the city, quitting their role in the rat race and setting up shop in a quiet corner of the countryside. Sounds idyllic, right? But without the right opportunity, it's a hard dream to accomplish.
No longer. An impressive, eight-bedroom house in the heart of the Ingram Valley – just outside the village of Powburn, close to Alnwick in Northumberland – The Old Rectory is not only the ideal family home, but it also comes with a well-established portfolio of five-star holiday lets. On the market through Finest Properties, the entire property is for sale at a guide price of £3.95 million.
The Cheviot Holiday Cottages comprise of a four-bedroom Georgian annexe (which could easily be converted back into a part of the main house) and eight properties, including a converted 18th-century coach house and a dovecote. The Retreat is particularly spectacular, a former stable block which is now a luxurious two-person country getaway, complete with a private swimspa and two jacuzzis inside the cottage itself. Plenty to keep a new host busy and a new business profitable.
Of course, if you have a rather large family you could ignore the commercial aspects of The Old Rectory and transform it into a purely residential property, but it does seem a shame to transform something already laid out so perfectly.
The Old Rectory itself is a wonderful home. The interiors may be in need of a little updating (a very little, compared to some of the houses we've seen) but the kitchen and flooring are both beautiful and the intricately-carved staircase is a delightful centrepiece to such a light, open home.
The grounds don't let The Old Rectory down; fit for roaming are woodland, a paddock, stables and immaculate lawns.
Finest Properties calls The Old Rectory a 'successful lifestyle and business opportunity'. For all parts of your life (or at least the majority of them) to be centred around one location, the location would have to be pretty spectacular.
Luckily, The Old Rectory is just that, and we wish the best of luck to whoever takes it into the next chapter of its life.
Credit: Simon Brown
The dovecote which became a delightful country home
A long career at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler was the perfect preparation for Emma Burns’s greatest design challenge yet:
Credit: PR
The cart shed and dovecote which together became a charming family home
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