NESTLED amidst dramatic sweeping hillsides, this former coaching inn boasts staggering panoramic views of the Northumberland countryside. New Moor House in Edlingham near Alnwick dates from the early 19th Century and comprises of a six-bedroom home, four rural cottages and around five and a half acres of land.
Current owners Helen and Graeme Wyld have been residents for almost a decade and were attracted to the property’s Northumberland location and the potential for a tourism venture. “I wanted somewhere with a business I could run from home,” said Helen, 43, who manages the three self-catering holiday cottages. “I was looking for something where I could generate a bit of money myself without having to go out to work, so it would fit around the children.” The couple’s four children are aged between six and 15. Helen’s mother also lives in the fourth cottage, ensuring that New Moor House now serves as a bustling family residence as well as a successful accommodation business. The 200-year-old Georgian property holds much history: “It started life as a coaching inn and it’s been a bed and breakfast, a tea room and someone even bred goats here,” says Helen. The multi-level property offers three spacious reception rooms, two bathrooms, six upstairs bedrooms, a newly refurbished kitchen with pantry and extension, as well as a cellar currently used as a workshop/laundry room. Three of the cottages had been converted from barn buildings seven years prior to the Wyld’s moving in. They then fitted the new kitchen and added an extension to the main building, as well as new windows. The roof has been re-tiled, while the fourth cottage is now a one-level property with fully fitted disabled facilities. New Moor House affords all of the charm of an old building, as Helen points out: “Nowhere is square.” Period features include stunning inglenook fireplaces in both the lounge and the dining room, alcoves, timber beams, stone flagged floors and even a tunnel from the cellar which leads under the driveway. Helen admits she will find it hard to leave their family home, however, her husband Graeme, 40, a purchasing manager, now works in Broxburn near Edinburgh and weekly separation from his family has made them consider the move. “It’s a lovely family home but also has great potential as a business,” says Helen. “We have the three holiday homes going which have always been very successful, but now there’s the fourth cottage with disabled access.” “There’s real potential for a bed and breakfast or an outdoor pursuits centre which could be built on what we’ve started.” The property has also been granted planning permission for a 25-pitch touring caravan site. The holiday cottages are currently let out for 12 months of the year and constantly busy from March through to October, with many walkers favouring weekend breaks throughout the winter months. “Two of the cottages are one-bedroom with four-poster beds and they all have log-burning stoves,” says Helen. “They’re the perfect romantic retreat, very cosy.” New Moor House is situated just a short way from Rothbury and the National Trust’s Cragside Estate. Other local attractions such as Alnwick Castle and Garden, Northumberland’s coastline, Kielder Forest, Hadrian’s Wall and the Cheviot Hills are all enough to ensure any visitor to the region is spoilt for choice. Helen added: “People that come and stay here say that a week wasn’t long enough and they have to come back. And they do come back, year on year.” New Moor House, Edlingham, is for sale through Turvey Westgarth at £975,000, tel: 01665 606898, www.newmoorhouse.co.uk | 
Find a Home | New Home Developments | Property Pricecheck | New Homes Search | Classified Property Search | Commercial Property
