Period charm and contemporary tastes collide in an eight-bedroom listed home in Durham

When looking at houses online, which is a significant part of my day, I have to ask myself lots of questions. These include, but are not limited to, questions such as: ‘why would the reader of Country Life dot co dot uk like to read about this house?’ or ‘are the pictures exciting or interesting enough to grab the attention of the passing scroller?’ or ‘why have they painted the room that colour?’.

Morton House raises and answers a lot of those questions. But one question arises from the listing that I have yet to answer, and that is, why is there a samurai sword in the bathroom? What dangers await on Chilton moor in Co Durham? However, ours is not to reason why, so we will move on.

Morton House is for sale with Fine and Country for £1.8 million and, as well as containing a samurai sword, also offers eight bedrooms over three floors of a Grade II-listed building. It also has a very cool wine cellar. Perhaps that is why there is a samurai sword.

Set in 6.4 acres of gardens and grounds, the property has been extensively refurbished in recent years to provide modern convenience with its inherent period charm. Within those ivy-clad stone walls is a house of contemporary elegance, benefiting from seven bathrooms and five reception rooms. It also has two kitchens.

I am a big fan of the styling here, which is both period and modern in equal measure. I like the general colour themes and styling of the reception rooms, none more so than in the drawing room and in the music room (after all, who doesn’t love a music room).

Special mention too to the delightfully large kitchen/breakfast/family room and the absolutely enormous master bedroom suite on the first floor, which offers an en-suite bathroom and dressing room.

The gardens and grounds are a mix of lawned areas, raised beds and mature woodland. There is also a tranquil courtyard, for some al fresco entertaining should you so desire. Durham, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is just six miles to the south.

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Morton House is for sale with Fine and Country for £1.8 million. For more information and pictures, click here