Christchurch Road, Newport, NP19

This house began life as two homes and has been brought together into one, which explains the space you find as soon as you arrive. A sweeping drive curves past a level lawn to a white-rendered frontage, where double timber doors sit under an arched porch. Downstairs there are four separate reception spaces, so everyone can have their own corner or gather in one of the larger rooms. The kitchen and snug are open to each other, so whoever is cooking is part of the conversation, and the lounge and dining room both open onto a wide patio and a south-west facing walled garden. Upstairs, five bedrooms are spread around a central landing, with a main suite, a family bathroom, and a view from the front over Caerleon to the mountain beyond. At about 2,785 sq ft, it suits a growing family, a household that works from home, or anyone who likes space to spread out.

The Ground Floor
Double timber doors and a porch welcome you into a spacious reception hall. Warm wood flooring runs underfoot, and the staircase rises in a graceful sweep with white spindles and striped carpet treads. A cloakroom and a separate WC sit close to the front door, which keeps coats and muddy boots out of the way.

The lounge is the star of the ground floor. It runs to 24ft by nearly 14ft, with a marble fireplace and hearth as its focal point, set against a textured feature wall. French doors open onto the patio at the back, and a large window looks out over the front garden and its hedging, so the room has light from both ends. There is space for a sofa and a desk by the window.

Across the hall, the dining room measures almost 17ft by 13ft, which is plenty of space for a table seating eight or more, with a dresser alongside. Wide glazed doors with side panels fill the room with light and open onto the patio, which makes summer entertaining easy.

The kitchen and breakfast room, at over 15ft by 13ft, has cream base units and wood-grain tall units, with a double oven, hob and extractor, and bright lime metro tiles that lift the whole room. A large window over the sink lets in plenty of light, and a tiled floor runs through. A granite-topped breakfast bar opens onto the snug.

The snug sits towards the front of the house, at around 15ft by 11ft. A curved bay window looks over the front garden and its hedging, and light wood-effect flooring keeps the room bright. There is room for a large sofa, a reading chair in the bay and a wall-mounted or corner-set television. It is a cosy place for the family to unwind, and an easy room to keep an eye on the kitchen from.

Off the kitchen, the utility room keeps the everyday work out of sight. It has a sink with worktop, space and plumbing for a washing machine and tumble dryer, and room for a tall fridge freezer. A window brings in daylight, the floor is tiled to match the kitchen, and a door leads straight out to the garden, which is handy for washing days, muddy boots and wet dogs.

The First Floor
The stairs rise to a bright landing with a white spindle balustrade, striped carpet and a crystal chandelier. There is room for a chair and a few favourite pictures, and an arched doorway leads on towards the other bedrooms.

The first bedroom you reach at the top of the stairs is a lovely double, at nearly 14ft by 13ft. Its window sits at the front of the house and looks over Caerleon to the mountain beyond, so mornings start with a view. There is space for a king-size bed, a dressing table and storage on either side, and soft carpet makes the room warm underfoot.

The main bedroom is a real retreat, at 16ft 6in by 13ft. A wide window looks out over the garden, and recessed spotlights and soft carpet make the room calm and bright. A silver-leaf feature wall frames the bed, and there is space for a dressing table and a television. Fitted wardrobes with mirrored doors run along one side.

Through a doorway, the en-suite is large and light. It has a freestanding bath, a separate shower enclosure with a rainfall head and a handheld attachment, a pedestal basin and a WC. Large tiles run underfoot, half-height tiling protects the walls, and a chrome towel rail keeps things warm. There is even room for an armchair, which makes it feel more like a spa than a bathroom.

Bedrooms three and four are both good doubles of around 13ft by 9ft, and each takes a double bed with a bedside table on either side. Both have windows looking across neighbouring rooftops to mature trees, with plenty of light and neutral carpet underfoot. One is currently dressed with a nursery cot beside the bed, which shows how well it works for a young family.

Bedroom five is a comfortable room of 12ft by 7ft, with a wardrobe and a bookcase and room for a double bed, so it suits a nursery, a guest room, a study or a dressing room.

The family bathroom, at the front of the house, is a bright, generous room with a window that looks out to trees and distant hills. A deep freestanding bath sits against grey half-height tiling, and there is a separate shower enclosure with mosaic-tiled walls, a pedestal basin and a WC. The floor is tiled, and an airing cupboard sits just off the landing.

The Outside
The house is approached by a tarmac drive that sweeps in from the road and round a level lawn, with parking for several cars in front of the house. A detached garage with a white up-and-over door stands to the side, and it can also be reached from the garden through its own door. A gate gives access along the side of the house to the garden at the back. Tall hedging screens the lawn from the road, and clipped shrubs and mature planting give the frontage structure and privacy.

The garden at the back faces south-west, so the sun reaches the patio through the afternoon and into the evening. A wide patio runs the full width of the house, and the lounge and dining room both open onto it through French doors. Raised brick-edged beds hold flowering shrubs and lavender, and there is room for a large outdoor dining table under a parasol. To one side, a timber gazebo shelters a hot tub on a low-maintenance artificial lawn, ready for use whatever the weather.

Beyond the patio, a level lawn stretches back to tall brick walls, with a row of pleached trees adding height, structure and privacy. Mature oaks and a palm beyond the walls complete the setting. The utility door gives a second way out to the garden, and the garden gate gives a second way round to the front.

The Area
Christchurch Road is a well-liked address on the edge of Newport, with the countryside and Christchurch village close by and the city’s shops and restaurants only a short drive away. The front of the house sits high enough for far-reaching views over the city and out towards the estuary, and across Caerleon, which is close by for Coffiology, Yobi, Yema and The Priory for coffee and a bite. The M4 is quick to reach for Cardiff and Bristol.

Tenure: Freehold
Council Tax Band: H
Local Authority: Newport