AN expanding family is one thing that may prompt a house move. The Jobling-Pursers certainly didn’t take that challenge lightly.
On the day that Jane Jobling-Purser left hospital with baby Martha, now four, her and husband Evan, spotted their dream family home in The Journal homemaker and, by the end of the week, it was theirs. Since then, Jane, 44, and Evan, 41, who works for the family business which produces asphalt and tarmac, have expanded their family further with Paddy, two. Their other children are George, 14, and Freddie, 12. Luckily, Southwitton Farm has plenty of room, as the family also have two Capheaton Terriers – Hovis and Flurry – two stable cats and nine horses and ponies. Jane, known as Yorkie to friends and family, said: “We had lived in a cottage and definitely needed more space after Martha. In fact, it was the day that I came out of hospital with Martha that Evan spotted Southwitton in homemaker. And in a week it was ours.” Creating the perfect family home has not been without its challenges. Yorkie explains: “It was like the place that time forgot. The property has two cottages that I now use as holiday lets. They had been done up by the previous owners. But no one had lived in the main property since 1968. We had to do everything. “We knocked through to make the rooms bigger, we moved walls upstairs, we had to do the roof, put in a new kitchen, rewire, put in heating systems, sort the plumbing and water – the list goes on. It was quite a project.” And the property has been extended. Accommodation at the Grade II Listed stone farmhouse includes an entrance hall, living/dining room and kitchen, drawing room, sitting room, playroom, boot room and two cloakrooms. There is also a landing, six bedrooms and four bathrooms – two of which are en suites. The property has extensive gardens and lawns including a patio. The 18th Century property also houses plenty of equestrian facilities, including eight loose boxes, a tack room, wash down box and feed box, horse walker and two open-fronted stores. The house is set in just under 30 acres of land, including premium grazing land. The Jobling-Pursers have made sure to create a home with the comforts of the 21st Century while ensuring its history and character are not lost. Yorkie said: “We have kept it to a fairly traditional theme with open fires, big inglenook fireplaces, Aga and York stone flooring.” The property – with its two holiday cottages – provides buyers with the chance to run a profitable business. The Granary includes a dining kitchen with sitting area, cloakroom, two bedrooms, two en suite bathrooms and a paved patio area and garden. The Byre includes an entrance hall, dining/living kitchen, two bedrooms and bathroom. It too has a patio and garden. Peak season, each cottage can bring in £580 a week. “They are busy when you want them to be,” said Yorkie. “However we don’t push for them to be full in the winter as we feel it gives us some time for privacy.” Despite good commuting times – 20 minutes drive into Newcastle and 10 minutes drive to Morpeth – the family is now looking for a similar project, but closer to Evan’s work in Scotswood Road, Newcastle, and the children’s schools. Southwitton Farm, Longwitton, near Morpeth, is for sale through Strutt and Parker at a guide price of £1.4m, tel: (01670) 516123. |
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