Horsley House, Rochester

Horsley House is a unique, detached stone-built vicarage occupying an elevated, sheltered plot of circa 0.8 acres within Northumberland National Park. Approached via a private drive with turning circle and extensive parking, the property offers generously proportioned, high-ceilinged accommodation retaining many fine period features. A detached stone coach-house provides excellent potential for ancillary income or use as a guest annexe. Both buildings have been re-roofed, and the main house benefits from full fibre broadband connectivity. The grounds extend to well-stocked mature gardens and a paddock. Horsley House combines the appeal of peaceful rural surroundings with a vibrant village community and convenient access to surrounding towns, airports and the city of Newcastle.

History & Architecture

Designed and constructed in the early 1880s by William Hodgson for the Earl of Redesdale, Horsley House originally served as the vicarage for the adjacent Church of Holy Trinity, itself built by the Earl in 1844, where the celebrated Mitford Sisters worshipped when visiting their father ('Farve') David Mitford, the second Baron Redesdale. The property retains an abundance of period charm throughout, with ornate corniced ceilings, ceiling roses, cast-iron balustrades and period marble fireplaces all preserved in excellent order.

Accommodation

The house is accessed through an arched stone entrance porch leading to an entrance lobby with parquet flooring, which in turn opens into a handsome reception hall with corniced ceiling and ceiling roses. To the left, a study/snug (14' x 10'6") retains its original fitted library shelving and inset alcove storage, while a ground-floor cloakroom and bathroom/shower-room with shower, bidet, heated towel rail and vanity storage complete this side of the ground floor.

To the right, the principal sitting room (18' x 15'10") is a particularly fine space, featuring a large south-facing bay window, additional west-facing window, ornate corniced ceiling with ceiling rose, and a period marble fireplace with tiled inset and wood-burning stove. The dining room (17'10" x 15'10") is equally impressive, with a south-facing bay window, additional east-facing window, ornate corniced ceiling and ceiling rose, and a further door connecting directly to the kitchen.

The kitchen (16'9" x 16') is well-appointed with a range of fitted floor and wall units, modern work surfaces, a recently installed electric AGA, conventional electric cooker, dishwasher and tiled floor, and retains the original Victorian bell system and ceiling hooks as delightful period features. Off the kitchen, the utility room (15' x 10') has a beamed ceiling, sink unit, plumbing for washing machine and dryer, and storage beneath a secondary stairwell. Two pantries provide further excellent storage, one of which is currently used as a workshop with a separate ring main. A solid rear door leads to a flagged back yard with large galvanised gates, and access to the boiler room housing the biomass pellet boiler and buffer tank.

The main staircase, with its ornate cast-iron balustrades, rises to a galleried first-floor landing with corniced ceiling, ceiling rose and a double-glazed arched window. Three principal bedrooms (each 18' x 16') all feature corniced ceilings, period marble fireplaces and wash-hand basins; two benefit from fitted wardrobes. A fourth bedroom (12' x 12') also has a wash-hand basin, while a fifth bedroom (16' x 8'), currently used as a gym and library, is accessed via a rear landing. The first floor is served by a well-appointed family bathroom with bath, double vanity basins, shower cubicle and large heated towel rail, a separate WC with bidet and vanity unit, and a laundry room with hot water cylinder, cold water tank and Velux window. The property also benefits from a cellar.

Throughout the house, Everest secondary glazing ensures exceptional levels of quiet, making this an unusually peaceful home despite its proximity to the A68.

Gardens & Coach-House

The private driveway, flanked by lime trees and shrubs, sweeps up from the A68 to the main entrance, with a tarmac turning circle and additional parking within the courtyard adjoining the coach-house. The front gardens enjoy panoramic views over the Rede Valley and are complemented by trees, shrubs, rockeries and well-established beech hedges. To the rear, a walled kitchen garden produces a variety of fruit, and there are apple and plum trees among the shrubs and flowers. The grounds extend to a paddock beyond.

The detached stone coach-house, built in the same Victorian style as the main house and also benefiting from a new roof, was originally designed to stable two horses, with coachman's accommodation and a hayloft above. Currently used as a workshop and store, it represents a significant development opportunity — whether as a separate home office, a permanent annexe, or holiday-letting accommodation — for which demand in this National Park setting is consistently high.

Location & Amenities

Horsley House sits on an elevated site just off the A68, in the peaceful hamlet of Horsley, approximately three miles north of Otterburn and a mile south of Rochester. The surrounding area, within Northumberland National Park and one of England's foremost International Dark Skies Parks, offers stunning unspoilt scenery, wonderful stargazing and the occasional spectacle of the Northern Lights.

The historic Redesdale Arms — an old coaching inn — lies just half a mile away, accessible by a pleasant woodland walk from the property. The village of Rochester, above which the Roman fort of Bremenium is located, has a well-equipped village hall with a lively programme of community events. Otterburn, three miles distant, offers several hotels, a village shop and a primary school conveniently located halfway between the two. The village of Bellingham, just over the hill, provides a Co-op, post office, hardware store, GP surgery, pharmacy and schools. Newcastle and Edinburgh, together with their international airports, are readily accessible via the A68/A696.

The area is also superbly placed for Northumberland's finest attractions, including Kielder Forest Water Park, Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda and The Sill, as well as the North Sea coast and its celebrated beauty spots — Craster, Bamburgh and Lindisfarne among them.

Services & Additional Information

Mains electricity; private estate water supply; septic tank drainage. Pellet-fired biomass boiler central heating throughout, serving panelled radiators and supplying domestic hot water. Full-fibre broadband. Tenure: Freehold. EPC Rating: E. Council Tax: Band F. Vacant possession upon completion. Viewing strictly by appointment.